Politics

• Thursday, November 5th 2009 - 08:27 UTC

  Fed leaves rates unchanged and admits businesses are still “cutting back”

  

  The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee kept US interest rates on hold at between 0% and 0.25%, as had been widely expected. Despite the US economy growing 3.5% in July to September - its first expansion since June 2008 - rates were left unchanged on Wednesday to further aid the recovery.

• Thursday, November 5th 2009 - 06:30 UTC

  The Secret of Prosperity is Freedom

  

  By Michael Magan (*)
  On economic policy, Latin American leaders face a basic choice: Adopt old style government-heavy populism championed by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, or the market-friendly reforms instituted in countries like Brazil, Peru, and Chile?

• Thursday, November 5th 2009 - 06:20 UTC

  Interpol suggests mediation between Argentina and Iran over terrorist attack

  

  France based Interpol proposed Argentine and Iranian authorities meet at Interpol's General Secretariat Headquarters in Lyon, central-south France, to unlock the judicial stalemate of the 1994 AMIA terrorist bombing in Buenos Aires.

• Thursday, November 5th 2009 - 06:13 UTC

  Bailing out UK banks has cost each British family £ 4.350 claim Tories

  

  The British government’s plan to pump a further £25.5 billion of taxpayers’ money into Royal Bank of Scotland means the cost of the banking bailout has reached £4,350 for every family in the UK.

• Thursday, November 5th 2009 - 05:51 UTC

  Strict cuts and rules for British MPs allowances

  

  British Members of Parliament should no longer be able to claim for their mortgages or employ family members at the taxpayers' expense, the long-awaited report by the standards watchdog has said.

• Thursday, November 5th 2009 - 05:34 UTC

  GM decision to hang on to European subsidiaries triggers controversy

  

  General Motors decision to hang on to its European car unit Opel including Vauxhall in Britain, was welcomed in the UK but met with anger in Germany. Unite union chief Tony Woodley, a former Vauxhall worker, hailed the news as a “fantastic decision”.

• Wednesday, November 4th 2009 - 22:38 UTC

  Falkland Islands votes on Thursday for new Legislative Assembly

  

  Businessmen Sawle tops Falkland’s election online poll.
  RETIRED businessman Richard ‘Dick’ Sawle (55) was earlier today at the head of an unofficial online poll of Falklands General Election voters. England-born Dick, owner of successful multi-million-pound fishing business Seaview Ltd, appears to have captured the hearts of the Stanley constituency with his promise to, “Listen, learn and act.”

• Wednesday, November 4th 2009 - 13:21 UTC

  Honduran presidential hopefuls sign democracy and governance pact

  

  Four of the six candidates for Honduras presidential election next November 29th signed Tuesday the social pact to strengthen democracy, peace and freedom, one of several steps agreed last week to end the four months institutional crisis of the Central American country, according to political sources.

• Wednesday, November 4th 2009 - 13:18 UTC

  Peruvian regional initiative to cut military expenditure and fight poverty

  

  Peru launched in Argentina its peace, security and cooperation initiative to reduce arms purchases in the region and to lower expenditure on military hardware.

• Wednesday, November 4th 2009 - 13:17 UTC

  Two million British children have no parent in work

  

  The number of children in British families living on benefits has increased by 170,000 over the past year, with child poverty growing in affluent as well as traditionally hard hit areas, according to a new report.