Politics

Saturday, December 21st 2019 - 10:34 UTC
Trump accepts Pelosi's invitation for the state of the union speech on February 4

US President Donald Trump has accepted the invitation from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to deliver his state of the union speech on Feb 4, the White House said on Friday. The invite for the annual presidential speech to Congress comes at a charged political moment, with Trump freshly impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, and facing a trial in a US Senate that is almost certain to acquit him.
Saturday, December 21st 2019 - 10:31 UTC
Trump will not levy new tariffs on Brazilian steel and aluminum, Bolsonaro says

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Friday that US President Donald Trump told him in a phone conversation that his administration will not levy new tariffs on Brazilian steel and aluminum as threatened earlier this month.
Saturday, December 21st 2019 - 10:29 UTC
Boris Johnson on target: “the Brexit vote wrapped up for Christmas”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson won approval for his Brexit deal in parliament on Friday, the first step towards fulfilling his election pledge to deliver Britain's departure from the European Union by Jan 31 after his landslide victory.
Friday, December 20th 2019 - 09:58 UTC
Boris Johnson: Political status of the Falkland Islands is not going to change

Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his Christmas message to the Falkland Islands points out the second commercial flight to South America as the great achievement of 2019, and assures that his government's support “for your right to determine your own political status is not going to change”
Friday, December 20th 2019 - 09:51 UTC
Bill authorizing mining in Brazilian protected indigenous reserves is ready, said Bolsonaro

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro said on Thursday that a bill authorizing mining on protected indigenous reserves was ready and only needed to be sent to Congress for consideration.
Friday, December 20th 2019 - 09:49 UTC
Brazil mining regulator dismisses a Vale dam is in danger of collapse: “structurally sound”

A dam owned by iron ore company Vale SA that was the subject of an investigative report by a TV program last week is structurally sound and there is no reason for concern, Brazil’s national mining regulator said this week.
Friday, December 20th 2019 - 09:46 UTC
IMF releases loan tranche to embattled Ecuadorean government

The International Monetary Fund on Thursday approved a delayed loan tranche for Ecuador, releasing nearly US$500 million under a three-year aid program. The IMF board gave the go-ahead for a US$4.2 billion loan in March to help support the oil-rich nation's economic reforms, but massive protests led by indigenous groups erupted in October when President Lenin Moreno scrapped fuel subsidies, causing gasoline prices to soar.
Friday, December 20th 2019 - 09:43 UTC
UK Parliament ready to vote the Brexit divorce deal with the European Union

Britain's freshly-elected parliament prepared on Friday to move past years of partisan wrangling and initially approve Prime Minister Boris Johnson's divorce deal with the European Union.
Friday, December 20th 2019 - 09:40 UTC
US Lower House overwhelmingly approves the new North America trade deal

The United States House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a new North American trade deal on Thursday that includes tougher labor and automotive content rules but leaves US$1.2 trillion in annual United States-Mexico-Canada trade flows largely unchanged.
Friday, December 20th 2019 - 09:30 UTC
Japan boosts defense budget spending for eighth straight year

Japan's government on Friday approved an eighth straight annual increase in defense spending to a record high as it buys US-made stealth fighters, interceptor missiles and other equipment to counter military build-ups by North Korea and China.