Politics

• Tuesday, March 16th 2010 - 21:41 UTC

  Fed leaves rates unchanged in context of moderate growth and unemployment

  

  The United States Federal Reserve left its key interest rate near 0% once again Tuesday and said rates should stay this low for the foreseeable future. In its release the Federal Open Market Committee, FOMC, policymakers repeated their prediction that economic conditions are likely to result in “exceptionally low levels of the federal funds rate for an extended period”.

• Tuesday, March 16th 2010 - 16:37 UTC

  Chile per capita expenditure on defence, the highest of Latinamerica

  

  Chile is the second largest weapons importer in the Americas and the 11th largest in the world, a recent study has shown. Chile’s defence budget nearly doubled between 1997 and 2007, the study carried out by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said.

• Tuesday, March 16th 2010 - 05:16 UTC

  Lula da Silva calls for Palestinian state during official visit to Israel

  

  Brazilian President Lula da Silva kicked off a Middle East trip in Jerusalem by saying he wants to promote regional peace, after expressing concerns last week that Israel may attack Iran over its nuclear program.

• Tuesday, March 16th 2010 - 05:13 UTC

  EC calls on Britain to further cut the budget deficit: “not ambitious enough”

  

  The European Commission will call on Britain to do more to cut the budget deficit, according to a draft document. The EU executive is also expected to say the UK's medium term plans are not ambitious enough. The report will see the light just weeks before a general election is expected to be announced.

• Tuesday, March 16th 2010 - 05:10 UTC

  Europe agrees to help Greece but loan guarantees have been ruled out

  

  Europe's finance ministers agreed Monday how to help Greece in its battle to control its finances. After a meeting in Brussels, they revealed few details, except that they had ruled out any loan guarantees.

• Tuesday, March 16th 2010 - 05:06 UTC

  Mercosur/Israel free trade agreement becomes effective April

  

  Brazil expects a new free trade agreement with Israel to swell bilateral trade to more than 3 billion US dollars within five years, officials said on Monday. Trade between Israel and Brazil slipped below 1 billion USD in 2009 from a peak of 1.6 billion USD in 2008 -- 1.2 billion USD of which were Israeli exports -- due to the global economic crisis.

• Tuesday, March 16th 2010 - 04:57 UTC

  British Airways announces strike contingency plan for 60% of its customers

  

  British Airways says 60% of its customers will be able to keep their travel plans during planned strikes by cabin crew. Industrial action is set to begin with a three-day walkout from Saturday March 20, followed by a four-day stoppage from Saturday March 27.

• Monday, March 15th 2010 - 21:58 UTC

  Lula da Silva refers to Ahmadinejad and Chavez as two “nutties”, says O’Globo

  

  Brazilian president Lula da Silva allegedly referred to Iranian president Mahmud Ahmadinejad and Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez as “nutty” leaders which must be kept under control through close links, reports the Brazilian newspaper O’Globo.

• Monday, March 15th 2010 - 21:54 UTC

  Israel discloses information on terrorist attack against embassy in Argentina

  

  In the week of the 18th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, the Israeli government claims to have identified the intellectual and material perpetrators of the bombing which left 29 dead, 242 wounded on March 17th, 1992.

• Monday, March 15th 2010 - 20:16 UTC

  Uruguay/Bolivia sign agreement to exchange natural gas for sea outlet

  

  Bolivia will gain access to Atlantic ports in Uruguay in exchange for a pledge of natural gas exports to Montevideo in an agreement signed in La Paz by presidents Evo Morales and José Mujica.