Politics

Friday, March 4th 2016 - 07:17 UTC
Brazilian GDP contracted 3.8% in 2015, the worst among major economies

Brazil's GDP fared worse than almost any other major economy in 2015, contracting by 3.8%, according to the national statistics agency IBGE. Economic growth in the world's seventh-largest economy has fallen sharply in recent months, which was due partly to low commodity prices and sluggish global growth.
Friday, March 4th 2016 - 07:02 UTC
Paul Singer will have made a $2.4bn profit with the Argentine defaulted bonds

Elliott Management Corp., a New York-based hedge fund that invested in distressed Argentine government bonds well over a decade ago, will have made a $2.4 billion profit on its wager once this week's settlement is finalized, the Wall Street Journal said.
Friday, March 4th 2016 - 06:49 UTC
French president wants UK in the EU and warns of the consequences of leaving

French President Francois Hollande has said he wants the UK to stay in the EU - and warned of the “consequences” for immigration and the economy of leaving. A French government minister earlier suggested his country could end UK border controls in Calais.
Thursday, March 3rd 2016 - 05:35 UTC
Brazilian company admits, in plea bargain, illegal payments to Rousseff presidential campaign

Executives from Brazil's second-largest engineering company, Andrade Gutierrez have testified that the company paid suppliers for President Dilma Rousseff's 2010 electoral campaign off the books, newspaper a Folha de S.Paulo reported on Tuesday.
Thursday, March 3rd 2016 - 05:11 UTC
EU top official expected in Argentina to bolster Mercosur/EU trade negotiations

Argentine president Mauricio Macri is scheduled to receive in a week's time the European Union head of foreign affairs, Federica Mogherini who is expected to announce that all is ready to begin, next April, formal negotiations for the long-delayed trade and cooperation agreement between Mercosur and the EU.
Thursday, March 3rd 2016 - 05:03 UTC
Brazil leaves key interest rate unchanged at 14.25% for the fifth time running

Brazil's central bank kept interest rates on hold on Wednesday as widely expected, opting to avoid inflicting more harm on an economy mired in its worst recession in decades despite a surge in inflation. In a split vote, the bank's monetary policy committee, Copom, kept its benchmark Selic rate at 14.25% for the fifth straight time.
Thursday, March 3rd 2016 - 04:57 UTC
Griesa lifts injunctions: 'Argentina needs time to raise money to pay creditors'

A judge sided with Argentina in its debt standoff on Wednesday, agreeing to let orders protecting creditors expire so that large U.S. hedge funds and smaller entities and people can be paid at least US$6.2 billion to satisfy settlements reached over the last month.
Thursday, March 3rd 2016 - 04:47 UTC
Republicans work out strategy to stop Trump in Ohio and Florida primaries

Following on Donald Trump's sweeping win on “super-Tuesday” Republican strategists are planning support for Ohio governor John Kasich so he can take his state presidential primary on 15 March and similarly with hopeful Senator Marco Rubio in his home state of Florida.
Wednesday, March 2nd 2016 - 23:46 UTC
Trump tsunami: Republican hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer to become Rubio's finance chairman

Paul Singer, the influential hedge fund billionaire from New York who endorsed Marco Rubio in October, is set to be named as his national finance chairman according to various US press reports. Singer is well known in Argentina for bringing a lawsuit against the government in the holdouts dispute.
Wednesday, March 2nd 2016 - 23:26 UTC
UN watchdog blasts Ban Ki-moon blessing of Syria and Venezuela as C24 members

A UN watchdog group criticized Ban Ki-moon for his blessings to the UN committee charged with “decolonizing” among others, the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar, at the same time as the 24-nation group elected mass murdering Syria and human rights abusing Venezuela to leadership posts.