Economy

• Wednesday, June 27th 2012 - 08:14 UTC

  First organized labour national strike challenges President Cristina Fernandez

  

  For the first time in decades the powerful Argentine organized labour movement has confirmed it is going ahead with a much debated national strike against a Peronist government, which allegedly rests on support precisely from the unions and a long history of generous labour legislation.

• Tuesday, June 26th 2012 - 22:37 UTC

  Spanish regions cripple Madrid’s attempts to keep budget deficit target

  

  Spain is considering raising consumer, energy and property taxes, the government said, as it struggles to reduce a public deficit that may have already exceeded one of its budgeted ceilings for the full year.

• Tuesday, June 26th 2012 - 06:32 UTC

  Argentina/China sign a raft of agreements to boost trade and investment

  

  Argentina signed with China a raft of mostly farm-related agreements at a ceremony on Monday in Buenos Aires attended by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and his Argentine president Cristina Fernandez.

• Tuesday, June 26th 2012 - 06:14 UTC

  Argentine major gas field remains blocked by striking workers that rampaged control offices

  

  American Energy said on Monday it has been unable to regain access to a strategically important oil and gas field it operates in Argentina's Chubut Province because protesters are blocking the roads leading to it.

• Tuesday, June 26th 2012 - 04:30 UTC

  Moody’s confirms Spanish banks on the cliff burdened by souring real-estate loans

  

  Spain largest lenders, Santander SA and Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA were downgraded by Moody’s rating agency because of the country’s sovereign debt and souring real-estate loans.

• Tuesday, June 26th 2012 - 03:49 UTC

  Major change in Petrobras exploration policy looking to diversity from two main basins

  

  Brazil’s Petrobras which has become the world’s biggest deepwater oil producer is looking past its largest discoveries to avoid a fate similar to Mexico, where output has plummeted 25% since 2004.

• Monday, June 25th 2012 - 23:55 UTC

  Global economy remains unbalanced after five years of financial strain, warns BIS

  

  Those hoping for quick fixes to the strains in the global economy will continue to be disappointed, writes the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in its 82nd Annual Report, released on Sunday.

• Monday, June 25th 2012 - 20:46 UTC

  Spain formally request Euro zone rescue to recapitalize debt-laden banks

  

  Spain on Monday formally requested Euro zone rescue loans to recapitalise its debt-laden banks as the Euro and shares fell on investor scepticism about this week's EU summit.

• Monday, June 25th 2012 - 20:09 UTC

  EU summit to address banking union, fiscal integration and sovereignty issue

  

  European leaders will discuss specific steps towards a cross-border banking union, closer fiscal integration and the possibility of a debt redemption fund at a summit on June 28-29, according to a document prepared for the meeting.

• Monday, June 25th 2012 - 19:53 UTC

  Germany’s leading minister claims “Greece has forfeited Europe’s trust”

  

  Greece's new government should stop asking for more help and instead move quickly to enact reform measures agreed to in return for previous bailouts from its European partners, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said.