International

• Tuesday, November 16th 2010 - 04:47 UTC

  China and Argentina formalize ‘trade peace” and become ‘strategic partners’

  

  President Cristina Kirchner received China's visiting Agriculture Minister Han Changfu on Monday at Government House in Buenos Aires, formally ending a six month trade war that threatened Argentina's standing as the world's leading soybean oil exporter.

• Tuesday, November 16th 2010 - 04:43 UTC

  Caterpillar bets on continued commodities boom, acquires competitor

  

  Placing a huge bet on the global commodities boom, the world's biggest heavy machinery maker, Caterpillar Inc., announced plans Monday to acquire mining equipment company Bucyrus International for 7.6 billion US dollars.

• Monday, November 15th 2010 - 19:20 UTC

  East Asia more than doubles Latin America’s investment in infrastructure

  

  In spite of healthy economic growth in Latin America, local and foreign companies alike single out one area as deficient, especially compared with Asia: infrastructure.

• Monday, November 15th 2010 - 08:19 UTC

  EU ministers and Ireland discussing possible (80 billion Euro) bailout

  

  Ireland is in talks with European officials about current “market conditions” as Germany pushes it to accept a bailout and help reverse a bond sell-off across the euro-region’s periphery.

• Monday, November 15th 2010 - 08:17 UTC

  APEC summit in Japan calls for regional free-trade zone, but gives no details

  

  Leaders of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Co-operation (Apec) forum have pledged to move towards creating a regional free-trade area. The agreement was announced at the end of a two-day summit in Yokohama, Japan.

• Monday, November 15th 2010 - 08:15 UTC

  Sarkozy reshuffles cabinet ahead of 2012 presidential election

  

  French President Nicolas Sarkozy reappointed Francois Fillon as prime minister on Sunday, but named new defense and foreign ministers in a cabinet reshuffle ahead of the 2012 presidential election.

• Friday, November 12th 2010 - 18:01 UTC

  Europe ratifies support for Ireland’s budget policy and sovereign debt

  

  Irish Finance minister Brian Lenihan has welcomed a statement of support over Ireland's debts from Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Spain. The five countries attending the G20 summit in South Korea said that bondholders would not be forced to share the pain of the current debt crisis.

• Friday, November 12th 2010 - 17:41 UTC

  UK holidaymakers moving out of Euro zone to Eastern Europe

  

  It wasn't just the rain-swept, cold day in London that was sending a chill wind down the back of tourism bosses from Western Europe. As heads of the global travel industry met for their annual gathering at the giant World Travel Market (WTM) 2010 event, the damage being caused by the continuing high value of the Euro was the dark cloud hanging over the representatives from Euro zone nations.

• Friday, November 12th 2010 - 17:29 UTC

  G20 agrees on “indicative guidelines” for imbalances and hopes for the best

  

  Leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) member nations meeting in Korea reached a vague compromise Friday on currency and trade issues, calling for a workable resolution for the next G20 summit in France, slated for November next year.

• Friday, November 12th 2010 - 05:10 UTC

  G-20 drafts a “standstill” compromise declaration to avoid protectionism

  

  Leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) member nations meeting in Korea are expected to reach a compromise Friday on trade and currency issues that have so far marred the spirit of the global gathering, in a bid to make headway in the G20 process and keep the two-year-old global policy forum afloat.