Stories for April 2017

Thursday, April 6th 2017 - 08:05 UTC
General strike in Argentina; Macri hosts the World Economic Forum

Workers are committed to a general strike in recession-hit Argentina on Thursday, drawing complaints from conservative President Mauricio Macri as he prepares to host leaders and business people for an economic forum.
Thursday, April 6th 2017 - 06:52 UTC
Process for independent Scotland joining the EU could be “relatively speedy” and “no need to queue”

The process of an independent Scotland rejoining the European Union could be “relatively speedy”, a senior German MEP has said. Elmar Brok said there would be few technical obstacles to overcome if the political will was there to allow it to happen.
Thursday, April 6th 2017 - 06:31 UTC
Tech entrepreneur wants to rescue Falklands' flagship HMS Hermes from the scrap heap

A technology entrepreneur is looking to raise around £15m to save the Falklands Task Force flagship on which he once served from the possibility of scrap, and is looking to celebrities and the public to help him out on his mission, according to channelweb.co.uk Falklands flagship HMS Hermes was decommissioned last month and is heading towards the scrap heap.
Thursday, April 6th 2017 - 06:08 UTC
Maduro blows up last bridge with Mercosur and causes deep rift in Uruguayan ruling coalition

Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro seems to have blown up the last bridge to Mercosur when he launched a barrage of accusations against Uruguay's foreign minister which triggered an immediate reaction from president Tabare Vazquez, who demanded evidence of the charges or a public retraction from the embattled Maduro. But the conflict has also openly exposed the deep rift inside the Uruguayan ruling coalition regarding the Bolivarian revolution “anti imperialist” regime.
Wednesday, April 5th 2017 - 21:06 UTC
Over 55% openly disapprove of president Temer's performance

The approval rating for the government of Brazil's President Michel Temer has fallen to just 10%, with 55% actively disapproving of its management of the country, a new poll by the Ibope polling company showed on Friday.
Wednesday, April 5th 2017 - 20:59 UTC
Tesla electric car maker market value overtakes Ford; 2016 sales reached 76.000

Tesla's market value has overtaken that of Ford after shares in the electric car maker added more than 7%. At the close of trading Tesla had a market value of US$49bn, compared with Ford's value of US$46bn.
Wednesday, April 5th 2017 - 20:55 UTC
Mao portrait by Andy Warhol sold at US$ 12.6m in Hong Kong

An Andy Warhol portrait of Chinese Communist Party founder Mao Zedong has been sold at a historic auction for US$12.6 million in Hong Kong. It is the first time one of Warhol's works depicting the founder of the communist leader has been auctioned and sold in a Chinese territory.
Wednesday, April 5th 2017 - 19:27 UTC
Brazil industrial output still virtually flat; central bank says inflation expectations are “well anchored”

Industrial output in Brazil barely grew in February, government data showed on Tuesday, throwing cold water on hopes of a quicker recovery from a two-year recession. Industrial production rose 0.1% in February from January, government statistics agency IBGE said, short of expectations for a larger increase.
Wednesday, April 5th 2017 - 06:32 UTC
S&P raised Argentina's credit rating to “B”, on the “verge of exiting recession”

Standard & Poor's raised Argentina's credit rating one notch Tuesday, from B- to B, saying Latin America's third-largest economy was on the verge of exiting recession.The rating bump gives a boost to conservative President Mauricio Macri, who has launched sweeping - often unpopular - economic reforms aimed at reviving growth.
Wednesday, April 5th 2017 - 06:22 UTC
IDB ends annual meeting with agreement to replenish innovation fund

The Inter-American Development Bank and the Inter-American Investment Corporation wrapped up the annual meeting of their Boards of Governors after reaching an agreement to replenish the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), the IDB Group’s innovation lab.