Politics

• Thursday, May 9th 2019 - 09:57 UTC

  Trump spoke to Macri to strongly support Argentina's economic reforms

  

  US President Donald Trump spoke with Argentina's leader Mauricio Macri on Wednesday and voiced support for the country's economic reforms, the White House said in a statement.

• Thursday, May 9th 2019 - 09:55 UTC

  Bolsonaro denies he's a racist and that racism is a problem in Brazil

  

  Racism is an insignificant problem in Brazil, according to President Jair Bolsonaro, who has been accused of not just racist but also homophobic and sexist comments in the past. Bolsonaro spoke to Rede TV in an interview broadcast on Tuesday night, in which he defended his record on a number of controversial subjects.

• Thursday, May 9th 2019 - 09:40 UTC

  Margaret Thatcher, a turning point in British politics

  

  By Greg Wright (*) - She arrived in 10 Downing Street to a chorus of cheers and boos, but promising to be true to the philosophy of St. Francis of Assisi and bring harmony to a nation riven by divisions.

• Thursday, May 9th 2019 - 09:32 UTC

  World markets on the edge waiting for Friday's China/US trade talks outcome

  

  Asian markets once again fell into the red on Thursday as investors anxiously await the start of high-stakes trade talks between China and the United States. After several rounds of negotiations, the two-day meeting in Washington, which kicks off later in the day, has taken on huge significance after Donald Trump threatened to ramp up tariffs on Chinese goods from Friday blaming backsliding by Beijing.

• Thursday, May 9th 2019 - 09:24 UTC

  Argentina auto exporters will receive a 6.5% tax refund for sales to Mercosur

  

  Argentina will give its auto exporters a larger tax rebate to help stimulate the flagging local sector that has been hit hard by a consumption slump and economic crisis in Latin America’s No. 3 economy.

• Thursday, May 9th 2019 - 09:19 UTC

  Cautious support from the Catholic Church to Macri's call for a national consensus to secure stability

  

  Argentina’s bishops have offered tentative backing to the country’s president in securing a national consensus on politically sensitive issues, in a move that could be construed as giving a boost to a conservative incumbent facing a stiff challenge from a former populist president with an ambivalent history with both the current pope and the local church he once led.

• Thursday, May 9th 2019 - 08:41 UTC

  Brazil expects US$ 30bn from offshore oil auctions next October and November

  

  Brazil expects to collect some US$ 30 billion in signing bonuses this year from three upcoming offshore oil auctions set for October and November, an official revealed this week.

• Thursday, May 9th 2019 - 07:40 UTC

  Mexico announces a criminal probe into Brazil's Odebrecht corruption

  

  Mexico will launch a criminal probe into Brazilian construction conglomerate Odebrecht SA within 60 days, Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero said on Monday.

• Thursday, May 9th 2019 - 07:29 UTC

  Brazilian congress begins to discuss pensions' reform; investors and markets apprehensive

  

  Brazil’s pension reform proposal returns to the congressional spotlight with a committee of lower house lawmakers opening its analysis of the government’s bill just as the outlook for the economy is deteriorating rapidly.

• Thursday, May 9th 2019 - 06:52 UTC

  What could dilute the EU, populism or the lack of a unifying external threat?

  

  By Gwynne Dyer - For the second time in a month, a member country of the European Union has NOT voted a populist into power. Could it be that the populist wave has broken?