Politics

• Thursday, November 12th 2015 - 08:07 UTC

  Petrobras striking workers consider salary offer but insist the company must reverse investment cuts

  

  Brazil's energy giant Petrobras offered striking workers a 9.54% wage hike on Wednesday in an effort to end a 10-day strike and prevent it from causing further production losses. But union officials said the deal makes almost no concessions on their most important demands. These include calls on Petrobras to reverse investment cuts and block planned assets sales designed to reduce Petrobras' debt.

• Thursday, November 12th 2015 - 07:49 UTC

  Argentina's purchase of Israeli fighter jets will be left to next government

  

  Argentine defence minister Agustin Rossi has announced that negotiations for new fighter jets are under way, but will be left to the next government to purchase. Rossi’s decision comes only a day after the Argentine government announced the purchase of Israeli manufactured Kfir fighters.

• Thursday, November 12th 2015 - 07:29 UTC

  Nephews of Venezuela's First Lady face US drug trafficing charges

  

  Two nephews of Venezuela's first lady have been arrested in Haiti and taken to the US to face drug trafficking charges, US media reports say. Franqui Francisco Flores-de Freitas and Efrain Antonio Campo-Flores are accused of conspiring to smuggle 800kg of cocaine into the United States.

• Wednesday, November 11th 2015 - 08:36 UTC

  PM Cameron outlines UK's conditions to remain in the EU

  

  Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday formally laid out Britain’s conditions for remaining in the European Union, seeking changes in his country’s relationship with Brussels that he is betting are substantial enough to win over a majority of British voters but modest enough for the rest of Europe to swallow.

• Wednesday, November 11th 2015 - 07:35 UTC

  Uruguay hopeful of a more 'flexible' Argentina whoever wins on 22 November

  

  The Uruguayan government is hopeful that with president Cristina Fernandez no longer at the helm of Argentina, as of 10 December, a more flexible attitude can be expected from the newly elected authorities, particularly regarding Uruguay's intention of signing trade agreements with third parties, if Mercosur is not interested in such commitment.

• Wednesday, November 11th 2015 - 07:25 UTC

  Argentine agro-business shares booming on presidential candidates' pledges

  

  Argentina's agro-business shares are booming in the Buenos Aires stock exchange since 26 October, following the first round of the presidential election, and expectations are even greater on the promises from the two candidates that will be disputing the runoff on 22 November.

• Wednesday, November 11th 2015 - 06:47 UTC

  Argentina to purchase Israel fighter jets, according to defense media reports

  

  After almost two years of negotiations and endless speculations surrounding the question of what fighter jet Argentina would go for, Argentine media report that a decision has been made to purchase the IAI Kfir jets to replace the Air Force’s Mirages. According to the report, in Interdefensa Militar Argentina, the decision is currently awaiting final approval from the Cabinet.

• Wednesday, November 11th 2015 - 06:34 UTC

  Catalonia acting premier Mas rebuked by secession coalition partner

  

  Catalan government’s partner in the secessionist drive, the small anti-capitalist CUP party, on Tuesday confirmed that its preferred candidate to head the region following the September 27 election is not acting premier Artur Mas.

• Wednesday, November 11th 2015 - 06:11 UTC

  Argentina's Supreme Court orders YPF to publicly release 2013 contract with Chevron

  

  Argentina's supreme court has ordered state-controlled YPF to publicly release all clauses of a 2013 contract with Chevron to develop shale oil in the country's vast Vaca Muerta formation. In a 3-1 ruling, the justices sided with opposition Socialist Senator Hector Ruben Giustiniani, ruling that the state's 51% stake in the firm effectively makes it a public company subject to transparency laws.

• Wednesday, November 11th 2015 - 05:50 UTC

  Germany mourns one of the architects of modern, unified Europe, Helmut Schmidt

  

  Helmut Schmidt, who served as West German Chancellor from 1974 to 1982, has died aged 96, his office says. Mr. Schmidt, who was a Social Democrat, was an architect of the European Monetary System, which linked EU currencies and helped pave the way to the euro. He also helped to consolidate Germany's post-war economic boom.