International

• Friday, March 11th 2016 - 20:47 UTC

  Odebrecht's involvement in Petrobras corruption scandal costing the conglomerate dearly

  

  The Odebrecht group of companies, whose top officials have been sentenced to prison for involvement in the corruption scheme of Brazil's largest company Petrobras, has come under strong pressure from its creditors to use the crown jewel, the petrochemical company Braskem as collateral to avoid filing for bankruptcy.

• Friday, March 11th 2016 - 20:06 UTC

  Brazil's February inflation down, but central bank calls for structural reforms and budget control

  

  Brazil’s consumer-price index slowed in February, providing relief for the country’s central bank amid its efforts to curb inflationary pressures. The consumer-price index, IPCA, rose 0.90% in February, compared with an increase of 1.27% in January, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, or IBGE, said.

• Friday, March 11th 2016 - 20:03 UTC

  Rousseff rejects calls for her resignation and confirms Finance minister Barbosa

  

  Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff rejected calls for her resignation on Friday midst a political storm deepened by a massive corruption scandal and blamed her opponents for causing a crisis that has damaged the Brazilian economy. She also confirmed her Finance minister Nelson Barbosa.

• Friday, March 11th 2016 - 06:16 UTC

  Sao Paulo prosecutors insist on an arrest warrant for ex president Lula da Silva

  

  Sao Paulo state prosecutors in Brazil are seeking the arrest of former President Lula da Silva on charges of money laundering and identity fraud for concealing ownership of a beachfront apartment, his foundation said on Thursday. The effort to arrest the former president raised the stakes dramatically in the current crisis and was likely to further polarize protests on Sunday calling for the impeachment of president Dilma Rousseff.

• Friday, March 11th 2016 - 05:38 UTC

  ECB cuts rate to 0% and announces new stimulus, but market reactions are mixed

  

  European stock markets have fallen and the Euro has soared following the economic stimulus measures announced by the European Central Bank on Thursday. After initially rising following the broader than expected package, Frankfurt closed down 2.3%, Paris ended 1.7% lower and the FTSE 100 slid 1.8%.

• Friday, March 11th 2016 - 05:29 UTC

  Brexit would be “a disaster for UK science” warn 150 fellows from Royal Society

  

  Stephen Hawking has called for Britain to stay in the EU, saying that a Brexit would be a “disaster for UK science”. A letter to the Times newspaper signed by more than 150 fellows of the Royal Society argues that leaving the EU would devastate research.

• Thursday, March 10th 2016 - 06:26 UTC

  Falklands' sovereignty issues has been solved, says MLA Phyllis Rendell

  

  The member of the Falklands/Malvinas legislative assembly Phyllis Rendell on a private visit to Paraguay openly stated that the South Atlantic archipelago claimed by Argentina is a British Overseas Territory and underlined that the sovereignty issue was settled with a war between the two sides over thirty years ago.

• Thursday, March 10th 2016 - 05:26 UTC

  Murdoch and The Sun gets the Queen involved in the Brexit debate

  

  Buckingham Palace said it had launched an official complaint with Britain's press watchdog on Wednesday over a newspaper report that Queen Elizabeth backs a British exit from the European Union, saying the monarch remains politically neutral.

• Thursday, March 10th 2016 - 05:03 UTC

  United States joins worldwide effort against illegal fishing

  

  The United States has brought added momentum to global efforts targeting illegal fishing by adhering to a FAO-brokered international pact.US Ambassador to the United Nations agencies in Rome, David Lane, this week formally presented FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva with the US' instrument of ratification of the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing.

• Thursday, March 10th 2016 - 03:59 UTC

  Spain's Socialists would continue “dialogue and friendship” with Gibraltar even with Brexit

  

  Spain’s Socialist party would continue to advocate “dialogue and friendship” with Gibraltar even if the UK voted to leave the European Union, the PSOE’s MP for Cádiz said during a visit to the Rock.