Politics

Thursday, January 6th 2011 - 20:45 UTC
China to the rescue of Europe confirms purchase of Spanish sovereign debt

Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang has said Beijing is willing to buy about Euro 6 billion worth of Spanish public debt, Spanish newspaper El Pais reported on Thursday, citing government sources.
Thursday, January 6th 2011 - 13:36 UTC
US embassy Wikileak questions Chilean president Piñera’s business practices

United States Ambassador to Chile Alejandro D. Wolff apologized to Chile’s President Sebastian Piñera for Wikileak revelations that showed U.S. officials questioning the past businessman practices of Piñera during last year’s presidential runoff race between the Conservative coalition candidate and Senator Eduardo Frei, of the center-left Concertacion coalition
Thursday, January 6th 2011 - 13:10 UTC
Woman mayor takes office in Lima, Peru’s most populated city

Susana Villaran took office this week as the first popularly elected female mayor of Lima, in a ceremony attended by Peruvian President Alan Garcia and former U.N. Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar.
Thursday, January 6th 2011 - 12:56 UTC
Cuban trade unions “guarantors” of the elimination of 500.000 state jobs

Layoffs planned to eliminate some 500,000 state jobs in Cuba this year got underway this week, according to the island’s only legal workers’ organization. The official weekly Trabajadores cited a speech by CTC chief Salvador Valdes in the eastern province of Holguin, in which he said it was the union’s responsibility to “be the guarantor” of the process of labour reorganization.
Thursday, January 6th 2011 - 12:42 UTC
Future Chinese PM promises full financial and economic support for Spain

China has confidence in the Spanish financial market and will continue buying bonds issued by Spain’s government, Beijing’s Deputy prime minister said in an op-ed published in Madrid daily El Pais.
Thursday, January 6th 2011 - 12:19 UTC
Magallanes has the lowest unemployment rate in Chile

Magallanes in the extreme south of Chile became the region with the lowest unemployment in the country during the September-November quarter. According to the official Chilean statistics office the jobless rate in Magallanes dropped to 4.1% compared to the national 7.1%.
Thursday, January 6th 2011 - 11:48 UTC
Cuban reforms on the move: soap and toothpaste eliminated from monthly ration

Cuba’s government, trying to save money and eliminate subsidies announced this week it will remove soap, toothpaste and detergent from the monthly ration of food and consumer products it has handed out since the early days of the Cuban revolution.
Thursday, January 6th 2011 - 11:10 UTC
As with Greece and Portugal, China comes to Spain’s rescue; 7.5 billion deals

China and Spain signed this week business deals worth 7.5 billion US dollars, a welcome boost for Spain's recession-hit economy. Visiting Vice-Premier Li Keqiang also vowed to help Europe overcome its debt crisis (and support the Euro), as he started his three-nation European tour.
Thursday, January 6th 2011 - 11:07 UTC
Barroso warns Europe of a tough “painful” year ahead

The year 2011 will be economically challenging and painful, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso warned this week. After two years of economic recession, Barroso expects a difficult year ahead and underlined the need for Europe to make progress on economic governance and policy coordination.
Thursday, January 6th 2011 - 11:03 UTC
Uruguay “exported” 1.414 football players in the last decade

Uruguay “exported” 1.414 football players during the last decade, (equivalent to 128 teams) to such different places as Argentina, Italy, Iraq, Russia or Romania according to a report from a local Montevideo newspaper.