Politics

• Friday, December 30th 2016 - 17:36 UTC

  The 100 Bolivar notes refuse to die: Maduro extends their use until January 20

  

  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says his government will extend the use of 100-bolivar notes to January 20, after a plan to withdraw those bills from the economy sparked protests across the country and widespread looting.

• Friday, December 30th 2016 - 17:18 UTC

  Brazil's unemployment rate reaches a record high of 11.9%: this means 12.1m out of a job

  

  Brazil's unemployment rate from September to November reached a record high of 11.9%, the country's statistics agency IBGE said. This new rate is a significant year-on-year hike over the same period in 2015, when it stood at 9%.

• Friday, December 30th 2016 - 17:04 UTC

  Odebrecht bribes' return ratio: for each million paid out it earned US$ 4m in contracts

  

  According to the Swiss Public Prosecutor, Odebrecht regularly paid Brazilian politicians and political parties from secret accounts in Geneva. For every US$1 million that the company paid out to politicians, it earned back US$4 million in contracts.

• Friday, December 30th 2016 - 05:00 UTC

  Prosecutor Nisman's filing to be reopened and investigated, Criminal Court rules

  

  The Federal Criminal Court of Appeals Thursday ordered the reopening of the case filed by former AMIA Special Prosecutor Alberto Nisman four days before he was found dead against then Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner for the alleged cover-up of the Iranian nationals suspected of being behind the AMIA bombing in July, 1994.

• Friday, December 30th 2016 - 04:16 UTC

  Venezuela second on world murder ranking with 28,479 yearly killings, says NGO

  

  The new figures leave President Nicolas Maduro's country behind only El Salvador. Honduras comes in third but way behind the front runners. The Venezuelan Observatory on Violence (OVV) NGO announced that 28,479 killings over the course of the year is tantamount to 91.8 such deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.

• Friday, December 30th 2016 - 03:48 UTC

  Ceasefire between Syria and rebels effective since midnight, but gunshots already reported

  

  A ceasefire between Syria's government and rebel forces started at midnight on Friday after nearly six years of civil war. The agreement, brokered by Russia and Turkey which back opposing sides in the conflict, got off to a dubious start as clashes had already been reported less than two hours after the truce's beginning.

• Thursday, December 29th 2016 - 22:51 UTC

  Obama's gov't expels 35 Russian diplomats - Moscow to take reciprocal steps

  

  The government of the United States Thursday expelled 35 Russian diplomats from Washington and San Francisco, US Department of State said in an official statement. Meanwhile, lawmaker Vladimir Dzhabarov, who is Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council's (Parliamantary Upper House) warned that “reciprocal steps will be made with regards to the U.S. embassy in Moscow and, quite possibly, the consulates will be cut down in size as well.” In any case, it is believed that this decision “will destroy diplomatic relations” between the two countries, as one Kremlin source put it.

• Thursday, December 29th 2016 - 22:28 UTC

  Whereabouts of Greek Ambassador to Brazil unknown since Monday

  

  Local police said in a statement on Thursday that Greece's ambassador to Brazil, Kyriakos Amiridis, has been last seen Monday night in Nova Iguacu, 40 kilometers northwest of Rio de Janeiro.

• Thursday, December 29th 2016 - 19:58 UTC

  Falklands' fisheries and oil issues must be discussed with the Argentine congress, warns lawmaker Carrió

  

  All issues linked to fisheries and hydrocarbons in the Falklands/Malvinas must be discussed and approved by Congress, warned Argentina's chair of the foreign affairs committee adding that if necessary the officials involved, who ignore the legislative will be summoned and sacked with a no confidence vote and political trial.

• Thursday, December 29th 2016 - 19:02 UTC

  Filipino President Duterte threatens to throw corrupt officials off a helicopter

  

  “If you are corrupt, I will fetch you using a helicopter to Manila and I will throw you out. I have done this before. Why would I not do it again?,” said Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte during a speech to victims of a typhoon on Tuesday, a clip of which was posted later on a video feed.