Politics

• Monday, January 11th 2016 - 14:13 UTC

  Agreement in Catalonia puts more pressure on Madrid for a grand coalition

  

  A fiercely secessionist leader was elected president of the wealthy region of Catalonia thanks to a last-minute show of unity, giving fresh impetus to attempts to break away from Spain after months of infighting. The appointment of Carles Puigdemont, just hours before a deadline which would have forced fresh regional elections, drew an immediate rebuke from Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

• Monday, January 11th 2016 - 14:09 UTC

  Rioting and clashes with police in Sao Paulo and Rio to complain transport fares

  

  Brazilian riot police on Saturday evening fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse a violent protest against a rise in public transport fares in the country’s largest city, Sao Paulo. Television images showed small groups of rock-throwing, masked youths clashing with police in the centre of the metropolis, amid burning piles of rubbish.

• Monday, January 11th 2016 - 13:50 UTC

  Argentina and Uruguay praise new spirit in relations and “return to normality”.

  

  Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra said that the meeting between President Mauricio Macri and his Uruguayan counterpart Tabare Vazquez last Thursday symbolized a “return to normality” for bilateral relations between the two neighbours.

• Monday, January 11th 2016 - 13:29 UTC

  Guns are our shared responsibility

  

  By Barack Obama - The epidemic of gun violence in our country is a crisis. Gun deaths and injuries constitute one of the greatest threats to public health and to the safety of the American people. Every year, more than 30,000 Americans have their lives cut short by guns. Suicides.

• Monday, January 11th 2016 - 11:42 UTC

  PM Cameron hopeful of reaching a deal on EU referendum with Brussels in February

  

  Prime Minister David Cameron says he is “hopeful” of reaching a deal with European leaders in February that will allow him to hold the UK's EU referendum. The prime minister said the in-out vote “would follow” if agreement was reached on his reforms at next month's summit. He also said he would stay on as PM even if he ended up on the losing side.

• Saturday, January 9th 2016 - 11:24 UTC

  Spanish Socialists target “a grand coalition of progressive parties”, Portugal model

  

  Almost three weeks on from Spain’s election, which left a fragmented Parliament, Socialist Party leader Pedro Sánchez ruled out a coalition with the conservative People’s Party (PP) on Thursday and said he was seeking “a grand alliance of progressive forces” to lead the country.

• Saturday, January 9th 2016 - 07:47 UTC

  A robust US economy keeps adding jobs: 284.000 a month in the fourth quarter

  

  United States jobs growth remained solid in December as the economy added 292,000 jobs, beating expectations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics data also showed the jobless rate held at its seven-and-a-half year low of 5%.

• Saturday, January 9th 2016 - 07:34 UTC

  Platini drops out of FIFA presidential race; Infantino and Ebrahim Al Khalifa, leading candidates

  

  Suspended UEFA chief Michel Platini has withdrawn from the FIFA presidential race as he fights to clear his name following an eight-year ban. Platini was banned by FIFA's ethics judge in December over a “disloyal” $2 million payment he received from Sepp Blatter in 2011. It virtually ended his dreams of succeeding Blatter at the helm of FIFA in the Feb. 26 election.

• Saturday, January 9th 2016 - 07:20 UTC

  Mexican marines recapture drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzmán

  

  Mexican authorities recaptured drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman in a bloody raid on Friday. “Mission Accomplished,” President Enrique Peña Nieto announced via Twitter. “We have him” in reference to the recapture of one of the world's most notorious and slippery criminals.

• Friday, January 8th 2016 - 20:06 UTC

  US and Cuban universities sign cooperation and student exchange programs

  

  The Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the University of Havana that will allow the institutions to develop cooperative programs in a variety of academic disciplines.