Stories for December 27th 2016

Tuesday, December 27th 2016 - 09:26 UTC
Chapecoense team air crash caused by human error: pilot, airline and Bolivian regulators blamed

The plane crash that killed 71 people in Colombia last month, including players from Brazil's Chapecoense football team, was caused by human error, an investigation says. Colombian officials said there was no technical failure and blamed the pilot, the airline and Bolivian regulators. A recording had already indicated the aircraft had run out of fuel.
Tuesday, December 27th 2016 - 09:17 UTC
Petrobras plans to claim part of Odebrecht's payments deal in US and Switzerland

Brazilian oil company Petrobras plans to request part of the record anticorruption settlement that construction company Odebrecht SA signed earlier this week with Brazilian, U.S. and Swiss authorities. Petrobras has said it was the victim of the vast bid-rigging and kickbacks scheme that Odebrecht admitted to helping run.
Tuesday, December 27th 2016 - 09:12 UTC
Brazil's trade balance with a US$ 45bn surplus record

Brazil's trade balance reached a surplus of US$ 45bn by the third week of December. The third week period recorded a US$ 864 million surplus from exports of US$ 3.969bn and imports of US$ 3.105bn. The result is far better than last year when the whole year surplus was US$ 19.69 billion.
Tuesday, December 27th 2016 - 09:03 UTC
Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse reach payment deals with US authorities on sub-prime scams

Germany's Deutsche Bank announced it has agreed a US$7.2bn payment to US authorities over an investigation into mortgage-backed securities. The sum, which needs final approval, is far lower than the US$14bn the US had asked the bank to pay in September. The looming fine had caused concerns that a failure of the bank could pose a risk to the global financial system.
Tuesday, December 27th 2016 - 08:56 UTC
Only 7.100 cheetahs left in the world, fears of quick extinction

The sleek, speedy cheetah is rapidly heading towards extinction according to a new study into declining numbers. The report estimates that there are just 7,100 of the world's fastest mammals now left in the wild.
Tuesday, December 27th 2016 - 08:52 UTC
Guatemalan authorities open 12 shelters due to low temperatures

Twelve shelters have been opened in different parts of Guatemala to serve low-income people, due to the low temperatures, the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (Conred) said on Monday.
Tuesday, December 27th 2016 - 08:41 UTC
Iranian currency on freefall as Trump's inauguration approaches

Iran's monetary unit, the rial, reached a new low against the U.S. dollar on Monday in what was perceived as a sign of doubt about the country's future following the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump on January 20. Presidential elections in Iran next year also played a part.
Tuesday, December 27th 2016 - 08:08 UTC
Cartes vetoes 2017 budget to avoid risk of Paraguay's default

President Horacio Cartes Monday vetoed the 2017 budget to avoid the risk of default after the Senate set a ceiling on the amount of debt the government could issue.
Tuesday, December 27th 2016 - 07:53 UTC
Tension mounts as strong Chinese fleet of aircraft carrier and navy vessels spotted south of Taiwan

What China's Defense Ministry deemed as “routine exercises,” was cause for grave concern among Taiwanese authorities as a strong Chinese fleet led by the Soviet-built Liaoning aircraft carrier escorted by five other warships entered the top half of the South China Sea on Monday passing southeast of the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands.