The UK should abandon its current drugs policy because the war on drugs is not being won, Nick Clegg has said. Speaking on a visit to Colombia, the deputy prime minister said different approaches were needed although he did not back full legalization. He also praised President Juan Manuel Santos commitment to the peace process with FARC and welcomed the human rights' policy.
The Argentine government announced on Tuesday it has started “a thorough investigation on major foreign trade companies” which have allegedly registered accounting irregularities for 6.8 billion dollars. Cabinet Chief Jorge Capitanich said the Central Bank has reported “mining, grain, food, car and oil companies have exported but failed to account for foreign currency income.”
Only four weeks away from the World Cup and in a climate of growing social unrest Brazil police unions are threatening the government of President Dilma Rousseff with a national strike. For Rousseff it also means an additional challenge since on February 10 the ruling Workers Party will be launching her re-election bid for next October's presidential election.
Janet Yellen on Monday was sworn in as chair of the Federal Reserve, the US central bank, replacing Ben Bernanke in the role. She is the first woman to hold the post at the Washington-based bank.
Quasi monies could be back in Argentina since many provinces and city councils are running short of funds and the federal government is not sending the checks be it because of political differences or simply because there is not enough money to go around.
Argentina oil company YPF has bought out Brazil player Petrobras to take over full ownership of an exploration block in Neuquen and Mendoza provinces. YPF agreed to pay 40.7 million dollars for Petrobras' operatorship and 38.45% stake in the Puesto Hernandez block, cutting short a joint venture due to expire in 2016, according to the Argentina explorer.
Brazil's balance of trade began 2014 with disappointing results, after closing January with a deficit of 4.06 billion dollars, according to the figures released by the Ministry of Industry, Development and Foreign Trade. Exports totaled 16.02bn dollars, while imports reached 20.08bn.
The extent of corruption in Europe is breathtaking and it costs the EU economy at least 120bn Euros annually, the European Commission says. EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem has presented a full report on the problem. She said the true cost of corruption was probably much higher than 120bn.
The influential founding editor of Spain’s second-biggest newspaper, El Mundo, stepped down on Thursday after a decline in circulation and a series of revelations of alleged corruption in the ruling party.
The European Union is not the only place where Spain punctiliously continues to press its position on Gibraltar as a clause in every international agreement. As recently as November 2013 amendment to the Basel Convention on the control of trans-boundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal, Spain introduced, via the office of the UN Secretary General, a communication relating to the territorial application by UK to Gibraltar.