Stories for August 2018

Saturday, August 4th 2018 - 11:54 UTC
Trade war: “China's countermeasures are rational”, argues Beijing

China’s state media said on Saturday the government’s retaliatory tariffs on US$60 billion in U.S. goods showed rational restraint, although in an opinion piece it still admonished the United States for blackmail and bullyboy tactics.
Saturday, August 4th 2018 - 11:48 UTC
Leading business group complains of “information void” on Brexit

Companies have been left in the dark over planning for Brexit amid an “information void”, a leading business group has warned. The Institute of Directors has called on the government to speed up guidance on what companies should expect if no deal on leaving the EU is reached.
Saturday, August 4th 2018 - 11:41 UTC
Petrobras profits soar thirty fold in the second quarter helped by rising oil prices

Brazil’s Petrobras benefited from the rising oil prices and booked a thirty-fold yearly jump in its second-quarter net income, which also beat analyst expectations.
Saturday, August 4th 2018 - 09:27 UTC
Brazil's Workers Party have a Plan B to replace Lula: Fernando Haddad

Former Sao Paulo mayor Fernando Haddad will be the Brazilian leftist Workers Party’s presidential candidate if jailed former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is barred from running in the October vote, party sources anticipated on Friday.
Saturday, August 4th 2018 - 09:11 UTC
Brazilian parties' nomination Saturday; Workers Party will insist with Lula

Brazil's ex president and currently jailed for corruption, Lula da Silva is expected to secure his Workers Party's nomination this Saturday and continue to overshadow more likely candidates in the country's most unpredictable presidential election for decades.
Friday, August 3rd 2018 - 11:33 UTC
Argentine judge is requesting Congress to strip Cristina Fernandez of parliamentary immunity

Argentine Federal judge Claudio Bonadio will present a formal request to Congress to strip ex president and Senator Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of her parliamentary immunity. Bonadio's move against CFK, for which she risks immediate arrest, is part of an investigation into an alleged giant bribery and corruption ring that spanned over a decade of the Kirchner couple's rule and involves high-profile businesspeople, politicians and magistrates.
Friday, August 3rd 2018 - 11:30 UTC
Argentine Senate will vote on the abortion bill next Wednesday

The Argentine Senate finally approved the text of a bill to legalize abortion that will be put to a vote on August 8 in the upper chamber. As approved by Congress' lower house Chamber of Deputies on June 14, the bill sent to the Senate decriminalizes abortion during the first 14 weeks of pregnancy and provides for conscientious objection for practitioners, but not for hospitals.
Friday, August 3rd 2018 - 10:03 UTC
Gibraltar has detailed contingency plans for all levels of Brexit

The Government of Gibraltar has, since 2016, been preparing for all possible outcomes in relation to the departure of the United Kingdom and Gibraltar from the European Union. This is a perfectly sensible thing to do in view of the ongoing UK/EU discussions and the preparations for all eventualities announced by both sides.
Friday, August 3rd 2018 - 09:53 UTC
British Armed Forces face consultation review of the Troubles

The new head of the armed forces says he will not allow British soldiers to be “chased” by people making “vexatious claims” about their conduct in the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Chief of the Defense Staff General Sir Nick Carter told the BBC serving and former service personnel should face action for “genuine” wrongdoing, but he vowed groundless cases “will not happen on my watch”.
Friday, August 3rd 2018 - 09:44 UTC
Apple becomes the first company to hit a market cap of US$ 1 trillion

Apple hit a market cap of US$1 trillion on Thursday — and hung onto the record valuation at market close — as the iPhone maker became the first publicly traded U.S. company to reach US$1 trillion.