Politics

• Saturday, September 8th 2012 - 06:31 UTC

  Merkel supports ECB debt-plan despite strong protests and threats in Germany

  

  Chancellor Angela Merkel defended the European Central Bank on Friday after its plan to buy the debt of troubled Euro zone states stirred outrage in Germany and threats from some in her own party to try and block the scheme.

• Saturday, September 8th 2012 - 06:26 UTC

  Europe threatens to take Russia to the WTO over restrictive practices

  

  Europe's trade chief threatened to take Russia to the World Trade Organization over a string of restrictive practices, saying Moscow needed to play by the rules now it was a member of the global body.

• Saturday, September 8th 2012 - 06:16 UTC

  The day after the Charlotte convention, back to reality with the jobs’ market stats

  

  US President Barack Obama said on Friday the labour market is not hiring workers fast enough, following the release of a government report that showed weaker-than-expected employment figures.

• Saturday, September 8th 2012 - 06:07 UTC

  Red tape, bureaucracy and ideology limiting foreign investment in Cuba

  

  Cuba's failure to encourage more foreign investment is crippling its economic performance and putting its goal of sustainable growth in danger unless changes are made, local experts and diplomats said this week.

• Saturday, September 8th 2012 - 05:26 UTC

  Bolivia will formally request Mercosur full membership in 2013

  

  Bolivia will begin the coming year formal talks for full membership of Mercosur, for which it has the support from Uruguay, said diplomatic sources from both countries, Bolivian Deputy Foreign minister Juan Carlos Alurralde met with his Uruguayan counterpart Roberto Conde in the framework of the “Bolivia-Uruguay coordination and consultation mechanism” sixth meeting in La Paz.

• Saturday, September 8th 2012 - 05:20 UTC

  Argentina limits dollar trading for arriving tourists in ports and airports

  

  The Argentine government is further tightening the US dollar clamp. On Thursday the Central bank announced that state-run banks and agencies will be the only ones officially allowed to operate foreign currency exchange offices in airports and ports.

• Saturday, September 8th 2012 - 05:00 UTC

  Falklands’ 1986 referendum showed 94.5% favoured British sovereignty

  

  In the light of the referendum on the political future of the Falkland Islands scheduled for March 2013, Islander Eric Goss this week provided Penguin News with historical information relating to a Sovereignty Survey conducted in 1986 that revealed a 94.5% cent vote by Islanders in favour of British sovereignty.

• Saturday, September 8th 2012 - 04:54 UTC

  Prince Harry back in Afghanistan but this time to fly attack helicopters

  

  Britain's Prince Harry has returned to Afghanistan to fly attack helicopters on the frontline just two weeks after he was photographed frolicking naked in Las Vegas. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said he would serve a four-month tour, based out of Camp Bastion in Helmand Province, one of the most volatile regions in the country.

• Friday, September 7th 2012 - 06:33 UTC

  Rousseff announces major shake-up of Brazilian costs beginning with lower power rates

  

  Brazil will cut energy costs for companies and consumers while pressuring banks to lower lending rates to accelerate growth, said President Dilma Rousseff in a speech on national television to commemorate the country’s independence.

• Friday, September 7th 2012 - 06:25 UTC

  FAO says global food prices remained steady in August, but “the game is not over”

  

  Global food prices remained steady in August, the United Nations food agency said Thursday, but warned that “the game is not over” as it was only the beginning of the harvest season.