Economy

• Tuesday, July 25th 2017 - 06:29 UTC

  IMF lowers US economic growth forecast for 2017 and 2018

  

  The IMF on Sunday lowered its economic growth forecasts for the United States to 2.1% for this year and the next, down from the 2.3% for 2017 and 2.5% for 2018 that it had predicted in April.

• Tuesday, July 25th 2017 - 03:54 UTC

  Prince William tours Germany to reaffirm close links with UK despite Brexit

  

  The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been on tour in Germany with a very specific purpose: to reassure Germans that Brexit doesn't mean the break-up of a excellent relationship.

• Tuesday, July 25th 2017 - 03:40 UTC

  Repsol caught in the middle of the Hanoi/Beijing South China Sea powder keg

  

  Vietnam has ordered a Spanish private company conducting a gas-drilling expedition in a disputed area of the South China Sea to cease operations following military threats from China, according to reports.

• Monday, July 24th 2017 - 09:29 UTC

  UK government tries to reassure Ulster farmers about post-Brexit subsidies

  

  British government has attempted to reassure Northern Ireland’s farmers about the level of subsidies they will receive after the UK leaves the European Union. Michael Gove, secretary for the environment, food and rural affairs, visited an agricultural show in Co Antrim at the weekend and also held meetings with the DUP and the Ulster Farmers’ Union.

• Monday, July 24th 2017 - 08:50 UTC

  Brazil cuts spending and raises taxes, including on fuel, to try and balance the budget

  

  Brazil's government increased a spending freeze and raised taxes to cover a budget gap this year, reinforcing its commitment to fiscal discipline but dealing a potential blow to fragile economic growth. In a statement by the Finance and Planning Ministries, the government said it will freeze an additional 5.9 billion Reais (US$1.9 billion) in federal spending this year

• Monday, July 24th 2017 - 08:38 UTC

  Morales highlights Bolivian independence from the IMF and World Bank

  

  President Evo Morales has highlighted the total Bolivian independence from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB), which have carried out “devastating economic policies for many years” in this South American nation.

• Monday, July 24th 2017 - 07:07 UTC

  Mercosur and Colombia agree to a limited list of tariff-free products

  

  Mercosur inked a trade deal with Colombia last Friday to allow limited quantities of tariff-free trade in products including automobiles, textiles and agrochemicals, Argentina's and Colombia's governments said.

• Monday, July 24th 2017 - 06:49 UTC

  First full-scale floating wind farm begins to take shape off Scotland

  

  The world's first full-scale floating wind farm has started to take shape off the north-east coast of Scotland. The revolutionary technology will allow wind power to be harvested in waters too deep for the current conventional bottom-standing turbines used.

• Sunday, July 23rd 2017 - 13:11 UTC

  Despite Trump's pledge Carrier laying off workers and moving to Mexico

  

  The Carrier factory where a president-elect Donald J. Trump boasted of having crafted a deal to save jobs from moving to Mexico has begun laying off workers. 338 employees at the Carrier Corporation fan coil manufacturing facility in Indianapolis will be let go Friday under the previously announced plan, the company said in a statement.

• Sunday, July 23rd 2017 - 12:23 UTC

  Bank of America moves European operations to “natural location” Dublin

  

  The Bank of America announced Friday that Dublin will be the new base for its European Union operations following Britain’s decision last year to split from the EU. Brian Moynihan, CEO of the Charlotte-based bank, made the announcement during a trip to the Irish capital city. It becomes the latest large U.S. bank in recent weeks to disclose plans for continuing to serve clients in EU countries following the so-called Brexit vote in 2016.