Stories for December 31st 2017

Sunday, December 31st 2017 - 20:47 UTC
Corruption in Uruguayan government “very much extended”, says opinion poll

Although Uruguay is well positioned internationally when it comes to corruption perception, it is considered among the least corrupt together with Chile in Latin America by Transparency International and LatinoBarometer, a public opinion poll published the last week of 2017 in Montevideo seems to show quite a different perception, particularly among young people.
Sunday, December 31st 2017 - 10:48 UTC
IMF report on Argentina: good, but watch out borrowing to finance the budget deficit

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday raised its outlook for Argentina’s economic growth to 2.8% in 2017, up from 2.5% seen in October, while keeping its forecast for 2018 growth steady at 2.5%.
Sunday, December 31st 2017 - 10:32 UTC
Temer paves the way for the privatization of jumbo power company Electrobras

Brazilian President Michel Temer signed a measure that paves the way for the privatization of Eletrobras, Latin America’s largest power company, according to a government official.
Sunday, December 31st 2017 - 10:27 UTC
Brazil denies any hypothesis of credit rating downgrade

“The government does not work on the hypothesis of a rating downgrade by the main credit rating agencies”, said Brazil's Treasury Secretary Ana Paula Vescovi during an interview to release the primary results of the Central Government.
Sunday, December 31st 2017 - 10:18 UTC
Margaret Thatcher's panda-phobia: “the history of pandas...is unlucky”

Ex prime minister Margaret Thatcher spurned the photo opportunity of sharing a transatlantic, Concorde flight to Washington with a giant panda, newly released files from the National Archives have revealed, according to an article from The Guardian..
Sunday, December 31st 2017 - 10:12 UTC
Legendary Jumbo phased out from US passenger service

Delta Air Lines was the last company to retire the Boeing 747 to replace it with smaller and more fuel efficient aircraft
Sunday, December 31st 2017 - 06:26 UTC
Lula's presidential ambition: on January 24 a Porto Alegre court will rule on his appeal

Brazil's former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will learn in January whether a prison sentence against him is upheld, officials said, potentially knocking him out of next year's presidential election. Lula was sentenced in July to 9.5 years behind bars after being convicted of corruption in Brazil's huge “Car Wash” graft scandal.
Sunday, December 31st 2017 - 06:09 UTC
PM May New Year message: more Brexit, and promises of focus on schools, police and the NHS

Britons will feel “renewed confidence and pride” in 2018, Prime Minister Theresa May has said in her New Year message. The prime minister said that while Brexit will be “crucial” in the coming year, it is “not the limit” of the government's ambitions, and it will focus on schools, the police and NHS to change people's daily lives.
Sunday, December 31st 2017 - 06:00 UTC
Corbyn said the “new Britain was closer than ever”, and Labour “is a government in waiting”

Labour is “staking out the centre ground in British politics”, British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn has said in a New Year message. Mr. Corbyn said the prospect of a “new Britain” was “closer than ever” and he was leading a “government in waiting”.