Stories for June 2018

Monday, June 18th 2018 - 08:30 UTC
China forced to fight back with reciprocal tariffs

The following editorial on the current US/China trade war was published by the official news agency Xinhua,
Monday, June 18th 2018 - 08:17 UTC
Several serious charges await for Temer when he steps down from office

Brazilian President Michel Temer has denied charges that he instigated the payment of hush money to former Chamber of Deputies Speaker Eduardo Cunha, a Planalto statement said. The statement was made after the Federal Police delivered the final report of the investigations into a fraud scheme in credit released by state-owned bank Caixa from 2011 to 2013.
Monday, June 18th 2018 - 08:08 UTC
World tributes to Professor Hawking at his Westminster Abbey memorial service

Tributes have been paid to renowned physicist Prof Stephen Hawking in a Westminster Abbey memorial service. British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Hawking in a BBC drama, and astronaut Tim Peake were among those giving readings at the ceremony.
Monday, June 18th 2018 - 07:38 UTC
Lula football commentator: “Messi must settle its debt with the Argentine people”

Ex Brazilian president Lula da Silva might be in prison, but that has not stopped a Brazilian TV station from hiring him as a World Cup commentator. “This is not a joke,” said Jose Trajano, who hosts the daily program at the Sao Paulo-based VTV network on which Lula, who was in office from 2003 to 2010, is talking about the competition.
Monday, June 18th 2018 - 07:21 UTC
Temer's record unpopularity linked directly to the performance of the economy

A Datafolha survey shows that the all-time high unpopularity of Brazilian President Michel Temer (MDB) is due essentially to dissatisfaction with the overall performance of his administration, particularly regarding the economy. It also shows that the president's personal image and the loss of status caused by corruption scandals that involve him are secondary issues.
Monday, June 18th 2018 - 07:20 UTC
President elect Duque pledges to unite Colombia and change the peace accord with FARC

Colombia's President-elect Ivan Duque, who swept aside leftist Gustavo Petro in Sunday's election, pledged to unite the nation after a divisive campaign but insisted he would change a landmark peace accord with leftist rebels
Monday, June 18th 2018 - 07:14 UTC
Argentina's new minister suggests a US dollar between 28/29 Pesos as 'comfortable' for industry

Argentina’s newly named Production Minister Dante Sica told a radio station on Sunday that an exchange rate of between 28 and 29 Pesos per dollar is “comfortable” for industry.Sica, an economist, was appointed on Saturday to replace Francisco Cabrera as part of a shake-up that also led to the appointment of a new central bank president and energy minister.
Monday, June 18th 2018 - 07:10 UTC
Uruguay and oil hopes: a permanent bidding round scheme, after failure of latest auction

Uruguay will move towards a permanent offer process for offshore oil blocks as other Latin American countries have done, after an April auction failed to attract bids, Industry, Energy and Mining Minister Carolina Cosse said in an interview.
Sunday, June 17th 2018 - 02:35 UTC
Two radical options will decide the Colombian presidential runoff on Sunday

The first round of presidential elections in Colombia ended with two leading candidates who will face off next Sunday: Conservative Ivan Duque led with 39% of the vote in the first round, and leftist Gustavo Petro followed with 25%. Centrist Sergio Fajardo came in third place with 23.8% of the votes, and his supporters will now help decide the run-off outcome.
Saturday, June 16th 2018 - 11:22 UTC
Denuclearization or mutual deterrence in the Korean peninsula?

If the Singapore meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un had been a zero-sum game, then Trump definitely lost. But maybe it wasn't. Kim got a meeting with Trump on terms of strict equality right down to the number of flags on display, which is a huge boost for his regime's claim to legitimacy.