Economy

• Monday, May 16th 2011 - 03:07 UTC

  US inflation slowed down during April to 0.4% from 0.5% in March

  

  Inflation in the United States slowed in April, mainly due to smaller price rises in fuel and food. Consumer prices rose 0.4% in April, having risen 0.5% in March, according to figures from the Labour Department.

• Monday, May 16th 2011 - 03:01 UTC

  China again hikes banks reserves requirements, fifth time this year

  

  In an attempt to cool inflation China’s Central bank raised banks’ reserve requirements for the fifth time this year. The half-point increase takes effect May 18 and will boost levels for China’s biggest lenders to a record 21%.

• Sunday, May 15th 2011 - 15:00 UTC

  Geithner warns of catastrophic consequences if US debt limit is not raised

  

  With the US government about to hit its 14.3 trillion US dollars debt limit, US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has warned of “catastrophic” consequences and a new recession if Washington is not able to borrow more.

• Saturday, May 14th 2011 - 05:15 UTC

  French minister finds ‘strong tension and difficulties’ between Argentina and Brazil

  

  French Foreign Trade Secretary Pierre Lellouche said he had witnessed ‘strong tensions’ among Mercosur members during negotiations with the European Union for a free trade agreement.

• Saturday, May 14th 2011 - 05:07 UTC

  World’s main trading nations remain divided on global agreement: Doha Round doomed?

  

  The world's main trading nations remain divided over a global trade deal despite a compromise plan put forward by the European Union to rescue the stalled Doha trade round, the EU trade chief said.

• Saturday, May 14th 2011 - 05:03 UTC

  US tourism industry calls for reforming the “antiquated visa process”

  

  The U.S. Travel Association unveiled a plan to create 1.3 million U.S. jobs and add 859 billion dollars to the U.S. economy by 2020 by reforming an antiquated visa process that often drives international travelers to other countries. The heart of U.S. Travel's plan is to increase staffing, reduce visa interview wait times and expand the Visa Waiver Program.

• Saturday, May 14th 2011 - 04:50 UTC

  Argentina/Brazil agree on a ‘constructive dialogue’ to overcome trade disputes

  

  Following a long day of open letters and press exchanges Argentina and Brazil finally agreed on the ground rules for the initiation of a ‘constructive dialogue’ to soften the trade dispute which erupted when Brazil imposed non automatic licences on imported cars, including from Mercosur’ main partner Argentina.

• Friday, May 13th 2011 - 14:53 UTC

  Police with clubs is not the answer to Chile’s HidroAysén debate

  

  Following Monday’s questionable approval of Chile’s major HidroAysén dam project - a jerry-rigged vote if there ever was one - the administration of President Sebastian Piñera turned police loose on thousands of demonstrators protesting the Patagonia dam project later that evening.

• Friday, May 13th 2011 - 14:47 UTC

  Capital inflow to Brazil during April falls dramatically

  

  Brazil’s tax increase on foreign loans and debt sales to shield itself from the global currency war helped reduce by 88% the number of dollars that entered the country in April.

• Friday, May 13th 2011 - 14:11 UTC

  Mercosur has a surplus production of three million tons of rice

  

  Uruguay which does not harvest transgenic rice has been consolidating as a growing European Union supplier and is a traditional provider for Mexico and Middle East countries such as Iran and Iraq.