United States

Wednesday, December 8th 2010 - 07:19 UTC
Obama defends tax deal with Republicans: “real money for real people”

President Barack Obama said on Tuesday the tentative tax deal he struck with Republicans is a good deal for the American people and a long political fight over tax cuts would have been bad for the US economy.
Tuesday, December 7th 2010 - 18:50 UTC
HSBC sued 9 billion USD by Maddoff’s investment liquidation trustee

The trustee for the liquidation of Bernard Madoff's investment firm is suing HSBC for 9 billion USD. Irving Picard, who is seeking to recover funds on behalf of Madoff's victims, is alleging 24 counts of fraud and misconduct against the bank.
Tuesday, December 7th 2010 - 18:46 UTC
US Treasury admits making 12 billion profit with Citigroup rescue package

The US Treasury has sold its remaining stake in Citigroup, in a deal which it says will make a 12 billion USD profit on its overall investment. Citigroup was one of the worst victims of the financial crisis, and the US government stepped in with 45 billion bail-out cash in 2008 and 2009.
Tuesday, December 7th 2010 - 08:05 UTC
Brazil and U.S. open-skies agreement; fully operational in 2015

Representatives of the United States and Brazil have singed an Open-Skies aviation services agreement which will significantly liberalize U.S.-Brazil air services for airlines of both countries over a transition period, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
Tuesday, December 7th 2010 - 07:43 UTC
Wikileaks and Latin America: Same Old Imperious U.S. Diplomats

by Former Senior Research Fellow Nikolas Kozloff
As more and more documents become available from Wikileaks, the public has gotten a novel and close up view of U.S. diplomats and their operations abroad.
Monday, December 6th 2010 - 05:17 UTC
Federal Reserve names banks that appealed to its emergency loans

The US Federal Reserve has named the companies that used its emergency loan facilities during the financial crisis and revealed how much they borrowed. Details of more than 21,000 transactions aimed at stabilising financial markets have been posted on the Fed's website.
Friday, December 3rd 2010 - 06:44 UTC
Hillary Clinton rings Cristina Fernandez and apologizes for the cables

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Thursday afternoon to apologize in relation to the WikiLeaks release of confidential diplomatic documents, including one in which the US Embassy in Buenos Aires is requested to gather information on the personality and mental health of the Argentine leader.
Friday, December 3rd 2010 - 05:45 UTC
Arsenic loving bacteria, another form of life right here on Earth

The first organism able to substitute one of the six chemical elements crucial to life has been found. The bacterium, found in a California lake, uses the usually poisonous element arsenic in place of phosphorus.
Thursday, December 2nd 2010 - 01:50 UTC
US was concerned about Argentine reactions to Falkland Islands exploration round

New cables released by the website Wikileaks and published by the Spanish newspaper El País state the US Secretary of State worries in June 2009 about the sudden change in the language of Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's government in Antarctica and Falkland/Malvinas Islands case.
Wednesday, December 1st 2010 - 22:14 UTC
Lula da Silva’s 8 years marked by corruption and crime, says a Wikileak cable

Brazilian president Lula da Silva concludes his eight years in office with a performance marked by open corruption “among his closest political allies”, with a “plague” of vote-buying in Congress and the ruling party, and without having given a reply to the issue of crime.