International

• Tuesday, April 19th 2016 - 22:42 UTC

  First commercial airliner lands in St Helena: new chapter of opportunities for the BOT island in mid Atlantic

  

  The British Overseas Territory St Helena in mid Atlantic made history on Monday as the first large passenger jet aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 (ZS-ZWG), touched down at St Helena’s new Airport shortly after 12.00 noon. This is the actual Boeing aircraft which will serve the St Helena/Johannesburg rout, according to a release from the local government.

• Tuesday, April 19th 2016 - 08:47 UTC

  Spectacular Argentine return to money markets: bond issue subscribed several times

  

  Argentina marked a spectacular comeback to world money markets on Monday when its first bond issue in fifteen years attracted bids more than three times reaching US$ 67 billion. Argentina is after US$ 15bn which will help pay creditors on its ongoing litigation, since the country defaulted back in 2001.

• Monday, April 18th 2016 - 17:34 UTC

  Rousseff loses crucial impeachment vote; Senate decides as economic uncertainty worsens

  

  President Dilma Rousseff lost a crucial impeachment vote in Brazil’s lower house on Sunday evening, making her removal ever more likely and deepening the country’s political crisis. Rousseff’s opponents easily obtained the two-thirds majority of votes in the 513-member Chamber of Deputies needed to pass the impeachment measure.

• Monday, April 18th 2016 - 12:28 UTC

  Colombia's FARC guerrillas appeal to Pope Francis to help ensure the peace deal

  

  Colombia's FARC guerrilla organization called on Sunday for Pope Francis's support to prevent other armed groups from disrupting its efforts to seal a peace deal with the government. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the country's government say they are close to a deal to end a half-century conflict.

• Monday, April 18th 2016 - 10:12 UTC

  Brexit referendum campaign took off on Friday, ten weeks ahead of June 23

  

  Campaigning in Britain's Brexit referendum officially started on Friday, ten weeks ahead of a vote that will hand Britons their first chance to have their say on Europe since 1975. With opinion polls suggesting the British public are deeply divided on whether to stay in the EU, the Leave campaign's biggest name -- charismatic London mayor Boris Johnson -- will lead its “Brexit blitz” with rallies on the weekend in northern cities.

• Monday, April 18th 2016 - 10:00 UTC

  Labour leader Corbyn will vote for Remain and Reform in the Brexit referendum

  

  British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn this week made his most impassioned plea for Britain to stay in Europe, saying the socialist case for the EU had dispelled his long-held suspicion of the bloc. Labour leader Corbyn, who voted against EU membership in a 1975 referendum, said he was now a supporter of the protections it offered workers, consumers and the environment.

• Monday, April 18th 2016 - 09:46 UTC

  Mercosur/EU trade deal is “no bed of roses” and “we're just beginning”

  

  Despite growing optimism among Mercosur member countries of reaching a trade agreement with the European Union, Argentine minister of foreign affairs Susana Malcorra has cautioned that the road ahead is not “a bed of roses”, and the coming exchange of goods and tariff reduction proposals “will not satisfy any of the two sides”, but that is where “serious discussions begin”.

• Monday, April 18th 2016 - 08:49 UTC

  Argentina returns to money market for US$ 15bn to pay bondholders

  

  Once Argentina pays the holdout funds, US District Judge Thomas Griesa will lift the injunctions against the country, court-appointed mediator Daniel Pollack said, following the appeals court ruling that cleared the way for Argentina to pay its debts.

• Monday, April 18th 2016 - 08:40 UTC

  Leading oil exporters can't agree to cap production; Iran did not attend

  

  The meeting of the world's leading oil exporters to discuss capping production has ended without agreement. After hours of talks in Qatar, the country's energy minister Mohammed bin Saleh al-Sada said that the oil producers needed “more time”.

• Monday, April 18th 2016 - 08:06 UTC

  Praise for Argentina from IMF and credit rating agencies but austerity measures “are tough”

  

  Following President Mauricio Macri’s economic policies and the deal with the holdout funds, Argentina will help to bring stability and a larger economic growth to Latin America, now facing a declining economy mainly because of Brazil’s downfall, representatives from the International Monetary Fund said.