Stories for 2018

Tuesday, November 6th 2018 - 15:46 UTC
Bolsonaro stands by pensions reform bill, says it's a step in the right direction

Brazil's president-elect Jair Bolsonaro was supportive Monday of a pensions reform bill already in the Lower House which is expected to be passed into law before his inauguration January 1.
Tuesday, November 6th 2018 - 14:30 UTC
Alpargatas closes Chaco factory, lays off all workers, sells facilities

The clothing firm Alpargatas shut down its factory in the Argentine province of Chaco, it was reported Monday. The company made it clear it was not a temporary measure by laying off the entire staff and placing the facilities on sale. Further closures and subsequent dismissals nationwide look imminent.
Tuesday, November 6th 2018 - 10:22 UTC
Chilean operators to seek Supreme Court ruling on Latam / American Airlines “cartel” agreement

The Chilean Association of Tourism Companies (ACHET) Monday announced it will take the question of the agreement of Latam Airlines with American Airlines and International Airlines Groups (IAG), which was approved last Wednesday by the Court of Defense of Free Competition (TDLC), to the Supreme Court, the Diario Financiero newspaper reported.
Tuesday, November 6th 2018 - 08:58 UTC
Cuban economy again on the downturn; austerity measures to continue into 2019

Communist-run Cuba’s economic growth will come in at around 1% this year, compared with the 2% previously forecast, due to a fall in exports and tourism revenue, state-run media reported over the weekend. The Caribbean island’s gross domestic product grew 1.8% last year and 0.5% in 2016.
Tuesday, November 6th 2018 - 08:44 UTC
Oil market cautious as US punitive sanctions on Iran become effective

Oil prices were mixed on Monday after a steep five-day fall, as the United States formally imposed punitive sanctions on Iran but granted eight countries temporary waivers allowing them to keep buying oil from the Islamic Republic. The sanctions are part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s effort to curb Iran’s missile and nuclear programs and diminish its influence in the Middle East.
Tuesday, November 6th 2018 - 08:41 UTC
Mercosur members adhere to WTO Precision Biotechnology applied to agriculture

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the United States has joined with 12 other nations, (including Mercosur founding members) to support policies that enable agricultural innovation, including genome editing. The International Statement on Agricultural Applications of Precision Biotechnology was released in Geneva at the World Trade Organization Committee on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.
Tuesday, November 6th 2018 - 08:36 UTC
Brexit deal on the Irish border must be agreed and shared, Dublin tells London

Irish premier Leo Varadkar has told Theresa May that he will not accept a Brexit deal which gives the UK the unilateral power to halt “backstop” arrangements for the border with Northern Ireland. In a phone conversation with the Taoiseach, Mrs. May said that any agreement would have to include a mechanism to bring an end to the backstop – designed to ensure there is no hard border in Ireland if the UK and EU fail to reach a broader trade deal.
Tuesday, November 6th 2018 - 08:30 UTC
Foreign nationals eligible to join UK armed forces; Military shortfall of 5.7%

Foreign nationals will be eligible to join the UK armed forces in greater numbers, ministers will announce, as British residency requirements for service are set to be scrapped. The Ministry of Defense will remove the need for Commonwealth citizens to have lived in the UK for five years before applying for service.
Tuesday, November 6th 2018 - 08:22 UTC
“Business as usual with Iran, and take advantage”, UK government tells British companies

Britain will continue to expand trade relations with Iran despite Donald Trump’s decision to re-impose sanctions on the state, Downing Street has said. The government “regrets” the US president’s move to restore restrictions on Tehran that were lifted when it signed up to a nuclear deal in 2015, and believes the agreement makes the world a safer place, No 10 insisted.
Tuesday, November 6th 2018 - 08:17 UTC
Egypt postpones visit of top Brazilian diplomat allegedly because of the Jerusalem controversy

Egypt has postponed a visit by Brazil's top diplomat, Brazil's foreign ministry said on Monday, in a move that allegedly was due to the President-elect's vow to relocate the yBrazilian embass in Israel to Jerusalem.