Stories for 2019

Saturday, August 31st 2019 - 09:26 UTC
Thousands of new fires ignited in the Amazon; Bolsonaro says Europe has nothing to teach Brazil on environment

President Jair Bolsonaro said on Friday that Europe has “nothing to teach” Brazil about preserving the environment, as data showed thousands of new fires were ignited on the first day of a ban on burning.
Saturday, August 31st 2019 - 09:20 UTC
Trump: US economic pressure helping Hong Kong protestors; steeper tariffs on Chinese goods “are on” as of this Sunday

US economic pressure on China was responsible for preventing the authorities from carrying out a harsher crackdown against demonstrators in Hong Kong, US President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday.
Saturday, August 31st 2019 - 09:09 UTC
Bolsonaro bans the use of Bic pens because they are French

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said on Friday he will stop using disposable pens made by France's Bic to sign official documents, while a diplomatic spat continues over fires in the Amazon basin.
Saturday, August 31st 2019 - 08:55 UTC
Factory activity in China shrinks in August for the fourth month running

Factory activity in China shrank in August for the fourth month in a row, official data showed on Saturday, as the United States ramped up tariff pressure and domestic demand remained sluggish.
Saturday, August 31st 2019 - 08:50 UTC
Trump again blasts the Fed over inaction as the Euro slides against the dollar

United States President Donald Trump on Friday accused the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank of inaction as the Euro slid in value against the dollar, something he said gave European countries a big trade advantage.
Friday, August 30th 2019 - 09:58 UTC
S&P declares that Argentina's extension of maturities implies a “selective default”

Credit risk agency Standard & Poors announced on Thursday that it was slashing Argentina’s long-term credit rating another three notches into the deepest area of junk debt, saying the government’s plan to “unilaterally” extend maturities had triggered a brief default.
Friday, August 30th 2019 - 09:55 UTC
No end to uncertainty: Argentine bonds plunge and the country risk soared to 2.276 points

Argentine bond prices fell on Thursday and the country risk soared to levels not seen since 2005 after the government announced plans to extend maturities on an estimated US$ 100bn in debt, raising fear of a full-blown financial crisis.
Friday, August 30th 2019 - 09:53 UTC
Colombian guerrilla leaders criticize the peace accord and return to the jungle to resume fighting

A former senior commander of the dissolved FARC rebel army in Colombia announced on Thursday he is taking up arms again along with other guerrillas who have distanced themselves from a historic peace accord signed with the government.
Friday, August 30th 2019 - 09:50 UTC
Tierra del Fuego protests Falklands display at the coming agricultural show in Uruguay

The extreme south Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego has sent letters to the Foreign Ministry and to the Malvinas, Antarctica and South Atlantic Department expressing concern about a Falkland Islands stand at the British pavilion in the coming international agriculture show in Prado, Montevideo, Uruguay to take place between September 3 and 15.
Friday, August 30th 2019 - 09:46 UTC
US confident of EU sanctions on Venezuela, if political dialogue fails; Russia main trader of the country's oil

Washington's envoy for Venezuela said on Thursday he was hopeful that the European Union will impose sanctions against Caracas in the coming months and the United States was examining more measures to pressure President Nicolas Maduro to step down.