Politics

• Friday, July 15th 2011 - 06:01 UTC

  “Home, sweet home”, ever so distant (and expensive) for Chinese citizens

  

  China on Thursday pledged to extend limits on new home purchases to smaller cities as authorities step up efforts to cool the country's red-hot real estate market. The State Council, or cabinet, said it would tighten existing property restrictions in cities that have seen excessive price rises to push them “back to reasonable levels”.

• Thursday, July 14th 2011 - 23:50 UTC

  Murdoch and son James think twice and agree to testify before British Parliament

  

  Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch and his son James bowed late Thursday to threats to find them in contempt of British Parliament and agreed to testify about the phone-hacking scandal to lawmakers on July 19.

• Thursday, July 14th 2011 - 18:31 UTC

  Media tycoon Murdoch refuses a summons by British Parliament

  

  Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch refused a summons by Britain's parliament to answer questions over alleged crimes at one of his newspapers, leaving a senior executive from his media empire to face lawmakers keen to break the media mogul's grip on politics.

• Thursday, July 14th 2011 - 18:07 UTC

  Falklands’ students reminded of dangers of 1982 minefields laid by Argentina

  

  Falkland Islands students were reminded this week of the dangers of the 30 year old minefields, laid by the Argentines, surrounding the capital Stanley, when British forces’ experts visited the Infant and Junior School and the Community School.

• Thursday, July 14th 2011 - 07:22 UTC

  Bolivia gets involved in Chile/Peru ongoing maritime dispute

  

  International relations between Chile and Bolivia are tense and could worsen, considering the impact of a Monday press release from Bolivia’s Ministry of Foreign Relations.

• Thursday, July 14th 2011 - 07:17 UTC

  Stormy forecast for President Rousseff ten-party ruling coalition

  

  Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff is facing further political unrest in the ruling coalition following the naming of a new Transport Minister, apparently a unilateral decision that was not shared by several allies.

• Thursday, July 14th 2011 - 07:04 UTC

  “CFK grandma! I’m having a grandchild; God takes away but also gives”

  

  Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announced Wednesday on her official Twitter social network account that her son, Máximo Kirchner, has confirmed that she will be grandmother as her son's girlfriend is pregnant.

• Wednesday, July 13th 2011 - 16:24 UTC

  Chavez admits he may need chemotherapy treatment after cancer surgery

  

  Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez acknowledged for the first time he may need radiotherapy or chemotherapy for ongoing treatment after cancer surgery in Cuba, the presidential office said.

• Wednesday, July 13th 2011 - 16:12 UTC

  UK political system targets News Corporation: end of Murdoch’s empire?

  

  Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation has announced that it is dropping its planned bid to take full ownership of satellite broadcaster BSkyB. The announcement came as the House of Commons prepared to vote for a motion supported by all major party leaders calling on Mr Murdoch to do so.

• Wednesday, July 13th 2011 - 00:35 UTC

  While Obama in office, “real solution” to debt ceiling “unlikely” say Republicans

  

  US President Barack Obama raised the stakes in the third straight day of budget talks Tuesday, warning that senior citizens and veterans may suffer first if the debt ceiling is not raised by Aug. 2.