Stories for January 2020

Thursday, January 9th 2020 - 09:11 UTC
Teheran says it has full respect for the independence and sovereignty of Iraq

Iran said on Wednesday it respects Iraq's territorial integrity, after firing missiles at Iraqi bases housing US troops. The early Wednesday strike led Iraq to say it would summon the Iranian ambassador.
Thursday, January 9th 2020 - 08:52 UTC
Brazil anticipates record 2019/20 oilseed and grains crop: some 250 million tons

Brazil's 2019-20 crop of grains and oilseeds is expected to reach a record of nearly 250 million metric tons, mainly driven by a sharp recovery in soybean production, even as inclement weather in southern regions of the country is raising concerns about the corn crop.
Thursday, January 9th 2020 - 08:48 UTC
Something smells rotten in Maputo: Russian bank suing Mozambique over US$ 2bn in loans

Russian bank VTB is suing a Mozambique state-owned company over US$ 535 million it extended as part a series of loans now at the centre of a US$ 2 billion debt scandal. An online court filing dated Dec. 23 shows VTB has lodged a lawsuit in Britain’s High court against the Mozambique state and Mozambique Asset Management, which borrowed the money from VTB as part of a costly project that U.S. authorities say was an elaborate front for a bribery and kickback scheme.
Thursday, January 9th 2020 - 08:35 UTC
World Bank forecasts global expansion of 2.5% in 2020, but there are also too many uncertainties

Global economic growth is likely to be only slightly faster this year than the weak 0performance seen in 2019, according to a World Bank forecast. The world economy is likely to expand by 2.5% in 2020, up from 2.4% last year, the Bank's economists predict.
Thursday, January 9th 2020 - 07:00 UTC
“Bumpy” start for the Royals: Harry and Meghan want to spend most time in the US; Buckingham not convinced

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have released a statement saying they intend to step back as senior members of the Royal Family. Here's that statement in full:
Wednesday, January 8th 2020 - 10:51 UTC
Iran’s retaliation in Iraq against U.S. forces is a “Slap in face”: Supreme Leader

Hours after Iran’s attacks on two bases in Iraq that houses United States troops, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressed his nation considering the firing of 22 ballistic missiles as a “slap in the face” and that military action were “not sufficient” to end the American presence in the region. However, Iran’s authorities said they did “not seek escalation or war.”
Wednesday, January 8th 2020 - 09:55 UTC
Guaidó sworn as Venezuelan Assembly speaker for another term, despite Maduro's forces, goons and blackout

Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido was sworn in for another term as speaker of parliament on Tuesday after a tense stand-off with the armed forces who initially prevented him from entering Congress.
Wednesday, January 8th 2020 - 09:50 UTC
Spain finally has a government: a coalition which includes a Catalan separatist group

Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez won the narrowest of victories in Parliament on Tuesday to take power for a second term in Spain with the backing of the anti-austerity party Podemos and a Catalan separatist group.
Wednesday, January 8th 2020 - 09:49 UTC
S&P admits a mistake and raised its debt grade for Argentina to CCC

S&P Global Ratings raised its debt grade for Argentina on Tuesday, acknowledging the agency made a mistake when it changed the rating in late December for the crisis hit country.
Wednesday, January 8th 2020 - 09:46 UTC
Chilean activity down and poor prospects for this year, following weeks of social unrest

Economic activity in Chile dropped 3.3% in November, led by a slump in mining activity, the central bank has said, and officials predicted low growth for the coming year as the country reels from anti-government unrest. The prediction is based on Chile’s economic activity index or IMACEC (Indicador Mensual de Actividad Economica).