Politics

Monday, February 10th 2020 - 08:03 UTC
Chinese group takes control of major lithium project in Argentina

China’s Ganfeng Lithium Co said it will take control of an Argentina lithium project it has been developing with Lithium Americas Corp, cementing its control over a key source of the white metal for electric vehicle batteries.
Monday, February 10th 2020 - 07:55 UTC
Apple fined in France for deliberately slowing down older iPhone model, unaware to customers

Apple has been fined 25 million Euros (US$ 27m) for deliberately slowing down older iPhone models without making it clear to consumers. The fine was imposed by France's competition and fraud watchdog DGCCRF, which said consumers were not warned.
Saturday, February 8th 2020 - 11:30 UTC
Lavrov denounces US foreign policy towards Venezuela in Mexico and puts hosts in an awkward position

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday denounced U.S. foreign policy in Venezuela, criticizing U.S. “provocations” and attempts to create what he called a pretext for military intervention.
Saturday, February 8th 2020 - 11:29 UTC
Freedom of expression and cybercrime case controversy in Brazilian court

A Brazilian judge indicted six people accused of hacking the phones of prosecutors in the country’s biggest corruption case on Thursday but held off “for now” on accepting cybercrimes charges against U.S. journalist Glenn Greenwald.
Saturday, February 8th 2020 - 11:04 UTC
US job growth accelerated in January, but payrolls downgraded over a 12 month period

U.S. job growth accelerated in January, with unseasonably mild temperatures boosting hiring in weather-sensitive sectors, indicating the economy will probably continue to grow moderately despite a deepening slump in business investment.
Saturday, February 8th 2020 - 10:39 UTC
US imposes sanctions on Venezuela's Conviasa, the country's flag carrier

United States on Friday criminalized transactions with Venezuelan flag carrier Conviasa, saying it wanted to pressure President Nicolas Maduro to cede power. Under the new sanctions, anyone in the United States will be banned from any transactions with Conviasa, which stands for Consorcio Venezolano de Industrias Aeronauticas y Servicios.
Saturday, February 8th 2020 - 10:34 UTC
Award winning Cuban dissident prevented from attending human rights meeting in Europe

An award-winning Cuban dissident who was detained this week announced on Thursday that he has been released without charge but barred from a planned trip to Europe for a meeting on human rights.
Saturday, February 8th 2020 - 10:27 UTC
New IMF chief Georgieva reshuffling top jobs: deputy Lipton to be replaced

The top American serving at the International Monetary Fund will leave his post at the end of the month amid a reshuffling of the top leadership, the fund said Friday. David Lipton, 66, who has been in the number two position at the Washington-based lender since September 2011, will be replaced by newly installed IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva “in the context of changes she will be making to the leadership team,” the IMF said in a statement.
Friday, February 7th 2020 - 19:06 UTC
World food prices rose for the fourth consecutive month in January

The FAO Food Price Index averaged 182.5 points during the month, up 0.7 percent from December and 11.3 percent higher than the same month a year earlier. Vegetable oils, sugar, and wheat were the chief drivers of the index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of commonly-traded food commodities.
Friday, February 7th 2020 - 19:01 UTC
US markets soar after China announces tariff cuts on US goods

Wall Street stocks finished at fresh records on Thursday, again shrugging off worries about the coronavirus outbreak and applauding China's move to cut tariffs on US goods. All three major indices ended at all-time highs, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average advancing 88.92 points (0.30 per cent) to 29,379.77.