Stories for December 2017

Tuesday, December 12th 2017 - 18:50 UTC
Internet influential figures write to US Congress in support of “net neutrality”

Several influential figures responsible for creating the internet have demanded that a controversial vote to be cancelled. This week the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will decide on whether to repeal an Obama-era law that protects “net neutrality”. This refers to the principle that all traffic on the internet is treated equally. The pioneers said the FCC did not know what it was doing.
Tuesday, December 12th 2017 - 18:29 UTC
Pope favors changing Italian and English translations of the “temptation” line in “Our Father”

The Italian and English translations of the “Our Father” can give believers the wrong impression that God can and does lead people into temptation, Pope Francis said. The Italian bishops' television channel, TV2000, has been broadcasting a series of conversations between the pope and a Catholic prison chaplain looking at the Lord's Prayer line by line.
Tuesday, December 12th 2017 - 10:47 UTC
Mexico and Brazil compete for investors in deepwater projects

Mexican national oil company Pemex blamed the cancellation of a potentially lucrative deepwater Gulf of Mexico project on weak investor appetite due to competition from recent auctions in Brazil and low oil prices. Mexico’s oil regulator canceled a tender to pick an equity partner for Pemex’s Nobilis-Maximino project, as company interest was not as robust as expected.
Tuesday, December 12th 2017 - 10:37 UTC
US questions workings and rules of WTO which favor “litigation over negotiations”

The United States President Donald Trump’s trade chief said on Monday that the World Trade Organization (WTO) is losing its focus on trade negotiations in favor of litigation, and was going too easy on wealthier developing countries such as China.
Tuesday, December 12th 2017 - 10:34 UTC
Mercosur/EU hurdles remain, and a deal announcement might not be reached this week

Free-trade talks between the European Union and Mercosur still face hurdles over beef and ethanol, and an expected deal announcement this week might not happen, officials involved in negotiations admitted on Monday. Mercosur diplomats on the sidelines of the World Trade Organization ministerial meeting in Buenos Aires said EU officials had not presented improved offers on EU tariff-free imports for beef and ethanol as promised.
Tuesday, December 12th 2017 - 09:21 UTC
Falklands' election motivates support resolution in US House of Representatives

The United States 115th Congress has tabled resolution 650 recognizing the results of the free and fair elections for the new Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands held on 9 November 2017. The resolution, 650, was submitted last week by Representatives Mario Diaz Balart, Derek Kilmer and George Holding, and referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Tuesday, December 12th 2017 - 09:02 UTC
Irish and French argue “a win for Mercosur in agriculture is a loss for EU farmers”

Irish MEP and vice-president of the European Parliament Mairead McGuinness is representing the European Parliament at the ministerial assembly on the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Argentina, which began on Sunday, and has warned that rushing towards a Mercosur/European Union deal would jeopardize the EU beef industry.
Tuesday, December 12th 2017 - 08:51 UTC
Welsh Labour MP calls for a second referendum on final Brexit deal

A Welsh Labour MP is calling for a second referendum on the final Brexit deal because the “British people should have the last word”. Geraint Davies' backbench bill offering a vote on whether to accept the deal negotiated between the UK and the EU was published in detail on Monday.
Tuesday, December 12th 2017 - 08:33 UTC
Scottish Brexit minister calls for “basic answers” to the UK/EU deal

Scottish Brexit minister Mike Russell has called for “basic answers” about the deal struck with European leaders ahead of talks with UK ministers. Mr Russell is in London for a summit with members of the UK government and the other devolved administrations.
Tuesday, December 12th 2017 - 08:13 UTC
Peruvian president admits working for Odebrecht, as financial advisor or irrigation project

Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski acknowledged that he worked as a financial adviser for an irrigation project owned by the Brazilian builder Odebrecht, contradicting his previous denials of having any links to the company. Odebrecht is at the center of Latin America’s biggest graft scandal and has admitted to paying about US$ 30 million in bribes to secure contracts in Peru over a decade.