Politics

Friday, August 31st 2018 - 08:34 UTC
India announces its first manned space mission to cost US$1.4bn

India announced it expected to spend less than 100 billion rupees (US$1.43 billion) on its first manned space mission to be launched by 2022, suggesting it is likely to be cheaper than similar projects by the United States and China.
Friday, August 31st 2018 - 08:22 UTC
BP, Shell, Total to bid in Brazil's pre-salt auction

Brazil’s oil regulator ANP has approved the applications of six companies—including Big Oil’s BP, Shell, and Total—to bid in next month’s oil auction of four blocks in the coveted pre-salt layer, ANP announced on Wednesday.
Friday, August 31st 2018 - 07:43 UTC
Argentine peso plummets and central bank raises interest rate to 60%

The Argentine Peso plummeted 15.6% to a new record on Thursday, and ended trading at 39.87 after having reached almost 42 Pesos to the US dollar in mid afternoon. This follows on the Wednesday which also witnessed the Argentine currency slide 7% to the greenback.
Thursday, August 30th 2018 - 09:11 UTC
Macri addresses the nation; IMF pledges more support but Peso falls 7%, a record 34 to the US dollar

Argentina's Peso suffered its biggest one-day slide in almost three years on Wednesday after the central bank sold reserves for a second straight day and the president asked the International Monetary Fund for early release of standby funds.
Thursday, August 30th 2018 - 09:11 UTC
Emergency in Brazil: 700/800 Venezuelans cross the border daily, claims Temer

The Brazilian government may restrict entrance of Venezuelans at the border in the remote northwestern state of Roraima, President Michel Temer said on Wednesday, after a flood of migrants has strained local services and sparked violence with residents.
Thursday, August 30th 2018 - 09:10 UTC
Argentina aims to double shale gas production in five years

Argentina re-launched a one-year-old agreement between the government, companies and workers to drive competition and spur development in the Vaca Muerta shale play, the government said in a statement.
Thursday, August 30th 2018 - 09:00 UTC
EU and UK adopt a milder approach in an attempt to avoid a “Brexit no deal”

The EU must back Theresa May's Brexit plan or risk the UK leaving without a deal, the most senior member of the UK PM's cabinet has said. Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington said the European Commission's proposals remained unacceptable and he appealed for compromise from the EU side in Brexit talks.
Thursday, August 30th 2018 - 08:46 UTC
Falklands' tender process for construction of vulnerable person' care facility

The Falkland Islands Executive Council has selected Galliford Try as the preferred company for the construction of the new Vulnerable Person’s Extra Care Facility in Stanley. The decision follows a detailed scrutiny of the bids received by Members of the Legislative Assembly and Government officers, who subsequently submitted recommendations to the Executive Council.
Thursday, August 30th 2018 - 08:29 UTC
Migrants returning to Venezuela following Maduro's promise of jobs

A group of Venezuelan migrants has returned home from Peru at the expense of Nicolas Maduro's government. Facing an exodus from Venezuela, Maduro had proclaimed his countrymen “won't be slaves to anyone in the world.”
Thursday, August 30th 2018 - 08:23 UTC
Canada and US expected to reach a new NAFTA deal by Friday deadline

The leaders of the United States and Canada expressed optimism on Wednesday that they could reach new NAFTA deal by a Friday deadline as negotiators prepared to talk through the night, although Canada warned that a number of tricky issues remained.