International

• Tuesday, October 30th 2012 - 07:16 UTC

  Australia’s Petrel Energy farms in with US explorer operating onshore Uruguay

  

  Australia’s Petrel Energy is getting involved in Uruguay after taking a stake in a private US player which also gives it a presence in Spain. The Sydney-based explorer said its 25% stake in Schuepach Energy International (SEI) gives the company a shot at unearthing “company-making” large scale oil and gas discoveries.

• Monday, October 29th 2012 - 13:00 UTC

  Argentina and Iran meet in Geneva to discuss 1994 deadly bombing in Buenos Aires

  

  Argentine and Iranian representatives are meeting in Geneva on Monday to discuss a 1994 bombing of a Jewish aid association in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people and injured 300 others, the Argentine Foreign Ministry said Sunday.

• Monday, October 29th 2012 - 12:31 UTC

  Wall Street closes down Monday, Tuesday as hurricane Sandy advances on New York area

  

  Wall Street stock and options markets will be closed on Monday and possibly Tuesday, the exchange operator said, going back on a plan that would have kept electronic trading going on Monday.

• Monday, October 29th 2012 - 12:26 UTC

  With the charisma of Lula da Silva, Brazilian ruling party takes control of Sao Paulo city

  

  Fernando Haddad of Brazil’s ruling Workers Party, a protégé of ex-president Lula da Silva, won Sao Paulo’s mayoral runoff election, according to official results. With 92% of ballots counted, Haddad had secured 56% to defeat his opposition rival and former presidential candidate Jose Serra of the Brazilian Social Democratic Party who received 43.9%.

• Monday, October 29th 2012 - 12:14 UTC

  Piñera and Chilean political system shocked by 60% abstention in municipal elections

  

  Chilean President Sebastian Piñera says the decision by many Chileans not to vote in Sunday's local elections is a “warning sign” that should be heeded. The polls, the first to be held since voting was made voluntary, were marked by an abstention of 60%.

• Saturday, October 27th 2012 - 04:23 UTC

  Argentina rejects bonds’ discrimination ruling and will go to US Supreme Court

  

  Argentina downplayed the significance of the US Appeals Court ruling in support of investment funds that were ‘discriminated’ in the payment of their sovereign bonds vis-à-vis those that accepted the restructure of the massive 2002 Argentine default.

• Friday, October 26th 2012 - 21:30 UTC

  Spain unemployment and economic situation only comparable to Franco’s days

  

  Spain's unemployment rate hit a record high in the third quarter, with one in four out of work and more expected to lose their jobs in 2013 as the next phase of government cutbacks kicks in.

• Friday, October 26th 2012 - 21:27 UTC

  End of bunga-bunga: ex PM Berlusconi handed jail sentence for tax fraud

  

  Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been handed a jail sentence and barred from office after being found guilty of tax fraud. The Milan court sentenced him to four years but later cut it to one year because of an amnesty law.

• Thursday, October 25th 2012 - 23:48 UTC

  Antarctic ozone hole in 2012, the second smallest in the last 20 years, says NASA

  

  The average area covered by the Antarctic ozone hole this year was the second smallest in the last 20 years, according to data from NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellites. Scientists attribute the change to warmer temperatures in the Antarctic lower stratosphere.

• Thursday, October 25th 2012 - 19:12 UTC

  Hong Kong intervenes to weaken its currency, threatened by capital inflow surge

  

  Hong Kong's central bank has intervened in financial markets again, weakening the value of its currency after it jumped in value. This follows similar moves on Sunday and pushes the total cost of intervention in the past week to 14.3bn Hong Kong dollars (1.85bn dollars).