Stories for May 26th 2018

Saturday, May 26th 2018 - 18:23 UTC
'Storms' and arrests among Venezuelan Armed Forces; more tortures and political prisoners

After the presidential election in Venezuela on May 20, in which President Nicolás Maduro was re-elected, a wave of arrests has been reported among Venezuelan military in several parts of the country. As well as releases and new arrests of civilians and soldiers for political reasons.
Saturday, May 26th 2018 - 09:29 UTC
Protectionism the “darkest cloud” for the solid upswing of the global economy

The threat of trade protectionism is the biggest concern looming over a solid upswing in the global economy, IMF managing director Christine Lagarde said. The “darkest cloud” on the economic horizon is the “determination of some to actually rock the system that has actually presided over the trade relationships that we have all undertaken and enjoyed to some extent over the last many decades”, said Lagarde.
Saturday, May 26th 2018 - 09:15 UTC
Colombia's presidential election: another referendum on the peace deal?

On Sunday, Colombians will head to the polls to elect a new president. At play in this year’s election are a range of issues: Venezuelan migration, economic situation, rampant corruption, high levels of inequality, but above all is the country's historic peace accord that ended over half a century of armed conflict.
Saturday, May 26th 2018 - 09:13 UTC
Landslide victory to legalize abortion in Ireland, according to exit polls

Ireland has voted by a landslide margin to change the constitution so that abortion can be legalized, according to an exit poll conducted for The Irish Times by Ipsos/MRBI.
Saturday, May 26th 2018 - 09:11 UTC
IMF/Argentina discussions to stabilize the economy are “progressing well”

“We are really moving ahead and we have committed to President Macri that we will do the best we can in order to move expeditiously and efficiently in order to change the perception about Argentina and the perception that people have about our role,” Ms Lagarde said in Russia.
Saturday, May 26th 2018 - 09:00 UTC
Truckers strike crippling Brazil, despite authorization to use military force to clear highways

A truckers protest over diesel prices that has crippled key sectors of Latin America's biggest economy dragged into Friday night, putting drivers in a standoff with Brazilian President Michel Temer who authorized military force to clear highways. The protest will stretch into its sixth day on Saturday.
Saturday, May 26th 2018 - 08:54 UTC
Argentine church independence message: sigh of relief for embattled Macri

A sigh of relief from Argentine president Mauricio Macri and his administration following on Friday's Tedeum by the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, which marks the Church' message on May 25, the symbolic celebration of the first independence efforts during the 1810 Revolution.
Saturday, May 26th 2018 - 08:46 UTC
Countdown for Rajoy's government: call for fresh elections

Spanish opposition parties have launched a fierce campaign to end the conservative government of Mariano Rajoy after courts ruled that his Partido Popular profited from a large kickbacks-for-contracts scheme. The Socialist opposition announced a vote of no confidence against the prime minister with the backing of anti-establishment and left-wing parties, while the pro-business Ciudadanos (Citizens) – which had supported the conservative minority government until now – urged Mr Rajoy to call a fresh election.
Saturday, May 26th 2018 - 08:39 UTC
Brexit talks in Brussels lead to strong exchanges with Chancellor Hammond

Chancellor Philip Hammond has criticized claims from European Union officials that Britain has a “fantasy” approach to Brexit negotiations. Mr Hammond insisted that talks with EU officials were “constructive” after reports from the continent that Britain was being “unrealistic” and little progress made in discussions in recent days.
Saturday, May 26th 2018 - 08:32 UTC
Odebrecht begins paying debts and fines following financial agreement

Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht SA's will use part of a 2.6 billion reais (US$709.96 million) bank loan to repay a loan in arrears with state-controlled bank Banco do Brasil SA, according to sources quoted by Reuters. Under the terms of an agreement announced on Friday, the engineering group, at the center of a corruption scandal, will repay a 100 million reais debt to Banco do Brasil.