Politics

Wednesday, April 29th 2015 - 08:07 UTC
The end of the BRICS

By Gwynne Dyer - ”The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable”, said John Kenneth Galbraith, the wisest American economist of his generation. (“A paltry honor,” he would have murmured.)
Wednesday, April 29th 2015 - 01:58 UTC
Nisman case leads to Timerman indeclinable resignation from Argentine Jewish organizations

Argentine foreign minister Héctor Timerman submitted on Tuesday his “indeclinable” resignation as an affiliate of AMIA, the Argentine Israel organization that is at the center of an ongoing controversy since 1994, when it suffered Argentina's worst terrorist attack with the loss of 85 lives and over 300 injured in downtown Buenos Aires.
Wednesday, April 29th 2015 - 01:18 UTC
Falklands confident of its oil industry safety regime and environment protection commitment

The Falkland Islands maintain strong regulatory oversight on all oil and gas operations and its offshore safety regime is based on the North Sea’s Safety Case regulatory structure, recognized as one of the highest standards in the world, said the Falklands' government in a release following concerns related to technical issues on the rig Eirik Raude, currently operating in the South Atlantic.
Tuesday, April 28th 2015 - 05:38 UTC
Australia intercepts and boards the fishing vessel 'Perlon', from the IUU list

Australia has intercepted in the Southern Ocean the fishing vessel Perlon, believed to have been operating under a false flag in defiance of international conventions, according to an official report from the Ministry of Immigration and Border Protection.
Tuesday, April 28th 2015 - 05:20 UTC
Fitch cuts Japan's credit rating: high and rising level of government debt

Fitch cut its credit rating for heavily indebted Japan by one notch on Monday, saying it has not done enough to plug a budget gap left by its decision to delay the second stage of a sales tax hike.
Tuesday, April 28th 2015 - 05:13 UTC
China's oil giant Sinopec under investigation over corruption suspicions

A senior executive at state energy firm China Sinopec Group is under investigation for suspected “serious disciplinary violations”. The China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) named Wang Tianpu, an oil industry veteran and president of Sinopec Group, in a statement on its website. Sinopec Group is the parent of Sinopec Corp, Asia's largest oil refiner.
Tuesday, April 28th 2015 - 05:04 UTC
New York dims lights in high buildings to help birds' migration

The state of New York is to turn off non-essential lights in state-run buildings to help birds navigate their migratory routes in spring and autumn. Migrating birds are believed to use stars to navigate but they can be disorientated by electric lights, causing them to crash into buildings.
Tuesday, April 28th 2015 - 02:07 UTC
Falklands' fisheries contribute an additional £6 million to Islands' budget

It's budget time in the Falkland Islands and fishing again has boosted the government coffers this year with more than £6 million above that originally budgeted, according to the Penguin News.
Monday, April 27th 2015 - 22:48 UTC
Paraguay and Uruguay ministers to discuss recovering paralyzed Mercosur

Following on the lead of Uruguay's new government, Paraguay has also demanded Mercosur returns to its roots and original objective with free circulation of goods and no obstructions of any kind or impediments such as tariff barriers. The five countries group has been paralyzed and negotiations for an encompassing cooperation and trade agreement with the European Union remain stalled.
Monday, April 27th 2015 - 22:40 UTC
Brazil's ruling party of Lula and Dilma 'stole too much' and its time 'is over'

A close ally of Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff and currently part of her government's coalition said “too much stealing” by Lula da Silva's ruling Workers Party (PT) is responsible for the country's political crisis and public opinion disenchantment with politics.