Politics

• Wednesday, February 7th 2018 - 09:17 UTC

  Trump manages to unite the UK political system in praise of the healthcare system

  

  United States president Donald Trump has sparked a backlash from UK politicians by attacking the National Health Service. In a tweet criticising US Democrats pushing for a universal health system, he said “thousands of people are marching” in the UK because the NHS is “going broke and not working”. This was believed to be a reference to a Save the NHS march on Downing Street on Saturday, demanding more funding.

• Wednesday, February 7th 2018 - 09:08 UTC

  German industrial labor win the right to reduced working flexible hours

  

  Industrial workers in south-western Germany have won the right to reduced working hours as part of a deal that could benefit millions of employees across the country. Workers will be able to reduce their weekly hours from 35 to 28 for up to two years to look after their families.

• Wednesday, February 7th 2018 - 08:55 UTC

  EU draft proposes strict conditions for UK in the post-Brexit transition period

  

  The European Union wants to be able to restrict the UK's access to the single market if there is a dispute after Brexit, a leaked document suggests. The power to suspend “certain benefits” would apply during the post-Brexit transition phase before the final arrangements come into force.

• Wednesday, February 7th 2018 - 08:03 UTC

  Francis sends sex-crimes expert bishop to investigate Chilean clergy

  

  Pope Francis is sending a representative, a sex crimes expert, to Chile to investigate whether a bishop there covered up years of abuse, the Vatican announced. The announcement comes after the pope faced backlash earlier this month during a visit to Chile.

• Wednesday, February 7th 2018 - 07:50 UTC

  Venezuela desperate after US dollars; greenback costs 228.000 Bolivars in the black market

  

  Venezuela’s central bank announced a devaluation of more than 99% of its official exchange rate with the launch of a new foreign exchange platform, a move critics quickly said would not create a functioning currency market.

• Tuesday, February 6th 2018 - 09:31 UTC

  Paraguayan guerrilla frees two Mennonite men held hostage, following ransom payment

  

  A Paraguayan guerrilla group has freed two Mennonite men it had been holding hostage for five months. The two were released after their families paid a ransom and handed over food to local communities, Paraguayan media report.

• Tuesday, February 6th 2018 - 09:17 UTC

  Ecuadorean president wins referendum, barring Correa's hopes of reelection

  

  Ecuadoreans on Sunday voted to prevent presidents from holding more than two terms in office, according to the elections council, a win for President Lenin Moreno that blocks his mentor-turned-adversary Rafael Correa from returning to power. The results from the referendum, called by Moreno, roll back a measure Correa pushed through Congress in 2015 to allow unlimited presidential re-election.

• Tuesday, February 6th 2018 - 08:26 UTC

  Tillerson praises Macri's leadership in the region in favor of democracy

  

  President Mauricio Macri received US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Monday at the Olivos official residence. During the forty minutes meeting the main issues of the Argentina/US bilateral agenda were addressed, according to a release from the Argentine Executive office.

• Tuesday, February 6th 2018 - 08:01 UTC

  Costa Rica presidential runoff between evangelical preacher and ex minister

  

  Costa Rica’s presidential election is headed to a runoff after no candidates secured enough votes to win outright. The top vote-getter, evangelical preacher Fabricio Alvarado, is expected to face his closest opponent, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, a former labor minister, April 1. Alvarado won nearly 25% of votes on Sunday to Alvarado Quesada’s 22%.

• Monday, February 5th 2018 - 09:16 UTC

  China's finance minister visits Argentina ahead of G20: meeting with Macri

  

  Chinese Finance Minister Xiao Jie, visited Argentina last week where he met with president Mauricio Macri and other officials ahead of the upcoming meeting in Buenos Aires of the G20 finance ministers and central banks governors. There was no official briefing of the different meetings or the interview with Macri in Casa Rosada.