Cuba has authorised banks to loan money to small businesses, private farmers and people who want to repair or build homes - a revolutionary step for the island's government.
French appeals court ruled this week that former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega could be extradited to his homeland to serve time for crimes committed during his iron-fisted rule in the 1980s.
Global oilseed production is estimated at record 472 million tons in the 2011-12 marketing year starting October but the growth in output will be subdued, FAO said in a report. Similarly soy bean production is expected to fall to 260.7 million tons from 265.8 million in 2010/2011.
Global markets fell Wednesday after more evidence emerged that the global economy is faltering fast and that the Euro zone is heading for a recession as the debt crisis spreads to the bigger economies like Italy and Spain.
The latest CNN poll shows that the same partisan divide that has kept the US congressional super committee from reaching a federal budget deficit reduction deal also exists among US voters who identify with a political party.
A special debt-reduction committee in the US Congress failed to reach agreement, extending partisan gridlock into the 2012 election year and setting the stage for 1.2 trillion dollars in automatic spending cuts.
As has happened in several European countries, namely Germany, nearly 140 millionaires asked members of the United States Congress to increase their taxes for the sake of the nation.
President Barack Obama was encouraged by the constructive tone of a discussion about the South China Sea issue at an East Asia leaders' meeting in Bali, Indonesia, a senior US official said.
Stanford University marine biologist William Gilly and other researchers have been studying Humboldt squid in Mexico's Sea of Cortez to determine why the animals have been spawning at a much younger age and smaller size than usual.
Persistent, inquisitive, and incisive, Javier Sierra, New York Times bestselling, author, historian, and journalist, gave an exclusive presentation to the Foreign Press Association whilst visiting New York City.