Stories for September 14th 2018

Friday, September 14th 2018 - 09:32 UTC
Skripal poisoning case: Russian official television mockingly interviews the two “civilian” suspects

Two men named as suspects in the poisoning of a Russian ex-spy in the UK have said they were merely tourists. The men, named as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, told the state-run RT channel they had travelled to Salisbury on the recommendation of friends. The UK believes the men are Russian military intelligence officers who tried to kill Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury last March.
Friday, September 14th 2018 - 09:28 UTC
Argentine currency drops to a new record low of 39.90 pesos to the US dollar

Argentina's peso currency fell 3.51% on Thursday to close at a new record low of 39.9 per U.S. dollar, as market confidence ebbs away despite President Mauricio Macri's efforts to reassure investors. Dollar demand had risen on Thursday due to high liquidity sparked by an auction of treasury notes, traders said.
Friday, September 14th 2018 - 09:25 UTC
Brazil currency closed on Thursday at a record low on political uncertainty

Brazil's currency closed at a record low of 4.197 to the US dollar on Thursday amid uncertainty and unpredictability surrounding next month's presidential elections. The previous record of 4.166 dated back to January 2016, during a two-and-a-half-year recession.
Friday, September 14th 2018 - 09:20 UTC
South Korea interested in becoming associate member of the Pacific Alliance

South Korea and Chile agreed on Wednesday to bolster substantive bilateral partnerships in various sectors on the basis of their free trade agreement (FTA). Korean foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha and his Chilean counterpart Roberto Ampuero held talks on the sidelines of a regional meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Hanoi, according to Kang's ministry.
Friday, September 14th 2018 - 09:18 UTC
Argentine inflation in August rose 3.9%, and 34.4% in twelve months

Argentina says consumer prices rose 3.9% in August, the highest rate so far this year. That brings the 12-month nationwide inflation rate to 34.4%, one of the world's highest.
Friday, September 14th 2018 - 09:11 UTC
A Judge in Andorra has charged 29 Venezuela chavista officials with corruption

A judge in Andorra has charged 29 Venezuelans with corruption - among them two former deputy ministers. Prosecutors allege that they were part of a network of corrupt officials who received US$ 2.3bn in bribes from companies in return for lucrative contracts with Venezuela's state-run oil company, PDVSA.
Friday, September 14th 2018 - 09:07 UTC
US, the world's top crude oil producer, but global geopolitical uncertainty prevails

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said that the U.S. likely surpassed Saudi Arabia and Russia earlier this year to become the world’s top crude oil producer. The EIA based its disclosure on preliminary estimates in its Short Term Energy Outlook which is released every month.
Friday, September 14th 2018 - 09:01 UTC
Turkey property sales, rental contracts and leasing must be made in the Lira currency

Turkey ruled on Thursday that property sales, rental contracts and leasing transactions must be made in lira from now on, halting the use of foreign currencies for such deals in a fresh step to support the ailing local currency. All business deals inside the country should be conducted in lira, President Tayyip Erdogan said, adding that nobody apart from exporters and importers should cross paths with foreign currency.
Friday, September 14th 2018 - 08:54 UTC
Brazil's Bolsorano recovering but his presidential campaigning is over

Jair Bolsonaro, the Brazilian far-right frontrunner for president, on Thursday was recovering from emergency surgery with no complications, but his running mate said his return to campaigning would be further delayed.
Friday, September 14th 2018 - 08:50 UTC
Maduro in China after more financial support to prop Venezuela's collapsing economy and oil output

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is travelling to China to discuss economic agreements, as the crisis-struck OPEC nation seeks to convince its key Asian financier to disburse fresh loans.