Politics

• Sunday, January 14th 2018 - 12:05 UTC

  First shipwreck of Venezuelan rafters

  

  It was midnight last january 10 when approx 30 venezuelans climbed a little traditional fisher ship after the order of a smuggler and left for the island of Curaçao, about 100 kilometers from where they sailed. After 3 months of planning and 7 hours of crossing over a rough sea, a large wave hits the small boat just few meters from the coast, tearing it to pieces, reported one of the survivors while waiting to be deported back to Venezuela after being rescued and detained by the Dutch authorities.

• Saturday, January 13th 2018 - 09:47 UTC

  Paraguay confirms remains found belong to Mennonite kidnapped by guerrilla EPP

  

  Remains found in a mass grave in the northern province of San Pedro correspond to a Mennonite settler kidnapped two and a half years ago by the self-styled Army of the Paraguayan People (EPP), authorities in Asunción said on Friday.

• Saturday, January 13th 2018 - 09:28 UTC

  PwC banned from auditing in India following country's major corporate scandal

  

  PwC's Indian unit has been banned from auditing listed companies for two years, over one of the country's biggest corporate scandals. Price Waterhouse was auditor for Satyam computers when company owner Ramalinga Raju admitted to inflating earnings.

• Saturday, January 13th 2018 - 09:17 UTC

  EU sigh of relief: Germany's grand coalition en route to a “renewed marriage”

  

  Chancellor Angela Merkel struck a deal with Social Democrat (SPD) rivals on Friday to open government coalition talks, easing months of uncertainty that has undermined Germany’s global role and raised questions about her political future. But the deal to revive a “grand coalition” that has governed since 2013 must be approved by an SPD congress planned for January 21.

• Saturday, January 13th 2018 - 07:58 UTC

  Argentine union leaders warn Macri, and forecast he may not end his mandate

  

  The Argentine government approach to the power challenge from strong unions has managed so far to have several of its leaders indicted for money laundering, fraud, racketeering and widespread corruption, including one who is jailed in neighboring Uruguay and which the Argentine justice expects to extradite.

• Saturday, January 13th 2018 - 07:31 UTC

  Trump cancels February visit to UK; Downing Street says invitation stands

  

  Donald Trump has cancelled a planned visit to the UK in February, where he had been expected to open a new US$1bn (£738m) US embassy in London. The US president tweeted he was not a “big fan” of the new embassy - which is moving from Mayfair to south London.

• Friday, January 12th 2018 - 10:58 UTC

  S&P downgrades Brazil's credit rating; delay of pension system reform takes the blame

  

  Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s cut Brazil’s credit rating further below investment grade on Thursday as doubts grew about a presidential election in October and a push to trim its costly pension system, seen as vital to closing a huge fiscal deficit. S&P lowered its long-term rating for Brazil sovereign debt to BB- from BB previously, with a stable outlook, citing less timely and effective policymaking. S&P also cited a risk of greater policy uncertainty after this year’s elections.

• Friday, January 12th 2018 - 10:36 UTC

  Farage willing to a second referendum to end anti-Brexit “whinging and whining”

  

  Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage says he is close to backing a second EU referendum to end the “whinging and whining” of anti-Brexit campaigners. Mr Farage told Channel 5's The Wright Stuff a fresh vote could “kill off” the Remain campaign for a generation.

• Friday, January 12th 2018 - 10:16 UTC

  Foreign Office rejects Ecuadorean diplomatic status for Wikileaks Julian Assange

  

  The British Foreign Office rejected an Ecuadorian government request to grant the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange diplomatic status in a bid to bring to an end his forced stay in the South American country’s London embassy.

• Friday, January 12th 2018 - 09:34 UTC

  Typical Trump: announcement he will attend Davos forum triggers controversy

  

  The announcement that US President Trump is to visit Switzerland later this month to attend the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, has prompted mixed reactions. While a spokesman for the Swiss government said it was “delighted” that President Trump was coming to the mountain resort of Davos, centre-left politicians have made their displeasure clear.