International

• Tuesday, November 24th 2015 - 13:56 UTC

  Biggest pharmaceutical deal in history criticized by US political presidential hopefuls

  

  US drugs giant Pfizer has sealed a deal to buy Botox-maker Allergan for $160bn in what is the biggest pharmaceuticals deal in history. The takeover could allow Pfizer to escape relatively high US corporate tax rates by moving its headquarters to Allergan's Dublin base.

• Tuesday, November 24th 2015 - 11:47 UTC

  Argentine election: the Kirchners' Falklands policy has backfired spectacularly

  

  By Dr Alasdair Pinkerton - For the first time in 12 years, the new occupant of the Casa Rosada, the presidential palace in Buenos Aires, will no longer bear the surname Kirchner.

• Tuesday, November 24th 2015 - 10:24 UTC

  China prepared to intensify strategic partnership with Argentina

  

  China congratulated Mauricio Macri on Monday for winning Argentina's presidential election and underlined the comprehensive strategic partnership.

• Monday, November 23rd 2015 - 10:42 UTC

  Unfair to claim China sparked a 'currency war', argues India's central bank

  

  ”It’s unfair to pin the blame on the August 11 Yuan devaluation because currencies were already declining due to the “unconventional monetary policies” of some nations, Raghuram Rajan was cited as saying in an interview with the SCMP.

• Monday, November 23rd 2015 - 09:39 UTC

  China's Yuan to be included in IMF's SDR basket of currencies

  

  The inclusion of the Chinese currency in the International Monetary Fund's special drawing rights (SDR) basket is long awaited, long overdue and, finally, all but a foregone conclusion.

• Monday, November 23rd 2015 - 08:46 UTC

  China cracks on 'underground banks' to combat corruption and capital outflows

  

  China said it cracked the nation’s biggest “underground bank,” which handled 410 billion Yuan (USD64 billion) of illegal foreign-exchange transactions, as the authorities try to combat corruption and rein in capital outflows that have hit records this year.

• Monday, November 23rd 2015 - 08:31 UTC

  Most of FIFA's 209 member associations secretive about their finances says TI

  

  A new report from Transparency International says most of FIFA’s 209 member associations publish little or no information about how they spend millions of dollars from world football’s governing body. Highlighting the potential for corruption, the study into the governance structures of the federations questions what the FAs do with the more than $1m they each received from FIFA in 2014.

• Monday, November 23rd 2015 - 08:16 UTC

  Worst effects of European recession risk becoming permanent

  

  The worst effects of the European recession risk becoming permanent in places, according to a left-leaning think tank. The IPPR's latest report pointed to the high level of unemployment and underemployment across Europe and said the chances of these becoming entrenched is “deeply alarming”. It said there was 10% unemployment and a 5% underemployment rate in Europe.

• Saturday, November 21st 2015 - 08:30 UTC

  UN Security Council authorizes “all necessary measures” to fight ISIS

  

  The UN Security Council on Friday (Nov 20) authorized countries to “take all necessary measures” to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group in a resolution that won unanimous backing a week after the Paris attacks.

• Saturday, November 21st 2015 - 08:20 UTC

  EU and Mercosur will propose WTO an accord to end agriculture export subsidies

  

  The European Union and Brazil representing Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay), are proposing the World Trade Organization agree to end agricultural export subsidies at a meeting next month. The proposal backers also include New Zealand.