Politics

Tuesday, December 19th 2017 - 11:59 UTC
Odebrecht family leaders will step down from the scandal plagued conglomerate

Emílio Odebrecht will resign as chairman of the board of the scandal-plagued Brazilian engineering conglomerate Odebrecht SA in the first half of next year, newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo reported. Emilio Odebrecht is one of 77 executives of the engineering conglomerate to sign a plea deal.
Tuesday, December 19th 2017 - 11:48 UTC
Royal Navy's largest ever vessel leaks: some 200 liters of water per hour

The Royal Navy's new multi-billion pound aircraft carrier has a leak so big that hundreds of liters of seawater pour into it each hour which could cost millions to fix. HMS Queen Elizabeth reportedly has a major defect with the stern seal which surrounds its huge propeller shafts.
Tuesday, December 19th 2017 - 11:38 UTC
Venezuela awards Russia's Rosneft two major offshore gas fields

Venezuela has awarded licenses to a unit of Russian oil major Rosneft to develop two offshore gas fields, Rosneft said in a statement.Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signed the deal during a visit to Venezuela by Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin, it said.
Tuesday, December 19th 2017 - 11:21 UTC
Markets and investors cheer Piñera, but he faces a determined opposition in Congress

Billionaire conservative Sebastian Piñera will begin a second term as Chile's president in March with a strong mandate after trouncing his center-left opponent in Sunday's election, and local markets soared on hopes of more investor-friendly policies.
Monday, December 18th 2017 - 13:47 UTC
Half of the world population without health services, says WHO/World Bank report

At least half of the world’s population cannot obtain essential health services, according to a new report from the World Bank and WHO. And each year, large numbers of households are being pushed into poverty because they must pay for health care out of their own pockets.
Monday, December 18th 2017 - 13:35 UTC
Russia again becomes main supplier of oil for Cuban refinery

Venezuela has pulled out of a partnership with Cuba in its Cienfuegos oil refinery and the Caribbean island has taken full ownership of the plant, Cuban state media said. Venezuela is grappling with an economic crisis that already forced it to slash cheap oil shipments to Cuba, which has had a knock-on effect on the island’s ailing economy.
Monday, December 18th 2017 - 11:39 UTC
Morales insists in involving the Pope in the ongoing sea outlet dispute between Bolivia and Chile

Bolivian President Evo Morales implied in a Tweet that he and Pope Francis had discussed Bolivia’s territorial dispute with Chile during a meeting at the Vatican on December 15. According to the Vatican, the 30-minute private meeting “took place in a cordial atmosphere.”
Monday, December 18th 2017 - 09:22 UTC
Mexican presidential candidate Lopez Obrador presents a moderate pragmatic cabinet

The left leaning front-runner for Mexico’s 2018 presidential election proposed a moderate U.S.-trained economist for finance minister, unveiling a planned cabinet made up of men and women in equal measure.
Monday, December 18th 2017 - 07:16 UTC
Argentina ready for another attempt to approve the pension reform bill on Monday

The government of Argentina has decided to vote on the pension reform bill on Monday amid speculation that President Mauricio Macri's administration could use a decree to fast-track the legislation.
Monday, December 18th 2017 - 06:56 UTC
Theresa May and cabinet to discuss UK's future relationship with the EU

Theresa May is due to meet her “Brexit cabinet” - about a dozen of her most senior ministers - to discuss for the first time what the UK's future relationship with the EU should be. The PM will later tell MPs the UK wants to sign trade deals during what she calls an implementation period.