United States

• Wednesday, May 13th 2009 - 15:39 UTC

  Another Clinton hand joins Obama’s team as head of hemispheric affairs

  

  US President Barack Obama named Tuesday Arturo Valenzuela, a US-Chilean citizen and former member of President Bill Clinton’s administration as the new head of hemispheric affairs in the State Department reported the White House press office.

• Wednesday, May 13th 2009 - 01:39 UTC

  Washington expresses full support for Paraguayan president Lugo

  

  United States explicitly expressed support for Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo and his administration in response to some “instability” rumours which are “not positive” for the country.

• Tuesday, May 12th 2009 - 10:39 UTC

  Nobel laureates warn about risks of a “lost decade”

  

  Nobel Economics laureate Edgard Prescott and Joseph Stiglitz warned Monday of a “lost decade” and a worsening of the global financial crisis in the short term during a forum in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The “lost decade” reference is to the stagnation of the economy as happened with Japan during the nineties.

• Tuesday, May 12th 2009 - 04:46 UTC

  General Motors admit bankruptcy “more likely” on June deadline

  

  US auto maker General Motors' top executive said Monday that it's more likely the company will file for US bankruptcy than meet a June 1 government deadline to restructure.

• Monday, May 11th 2009 - 10:28 UTC

  Obama and Bush agree limited protection for polar bears

  

  The US government has opted to retain a Bush-era rule that limits protection for polar bears from the effects of global warming. Environmental groups had been calling for the rule to be lifted, and the US Congress had given Interior Secretary Ken Salazar the power to do so. Mr Salazar said lifting the rule would create “uncertainty and confusion”.

• Saturday, May 9th 2009 - 07:44 UTC

  Prestigious Hispanic civil rights activist next US ambassador in Argentina

  

  The President Barack Obama administration has named a prestigious civil rights activist of Hispanic-Mexican origin as the next US ambassador in Argentina. Vilma Socorro Martinez, 66, will replace Ambassador Earl Anthony Wayne who has held the job for three and a half years.

• Saturday, May 9th 2009 - 07:40 UTC

  Ten US leading banks need 74.6 billion in extra funds

  

  US bank Wells Fargo has said it plans to raise 7.5 billion US dollars from selling new shares, a day after the US Treasury said 10 banks needed to boost reserves. Morgan Stanley is also hoping to raise 3.5 billion from share sales. Bank of America said it planned to sell assets and raise capital to secure the 33.9 billion it needs.

• Tuesday, May 5th 2009 - 08:12 UTC

  Obama wants to end tax loopholes for US corporations overseas

  

  President Barack Obama has proposed outlawing offshore tax-avoidance techniques in a move that could hit US corporations with overseas divisions. His proposals would axe some tax deductions for firms that earn profits in countries with low tax rates.

• Sunday, May 3rd 2009 - 12:10 UTC

  US bank failures in four months reach 32 compared to 25 in 2008

  

  Three more United States banks shut their doors Friday, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, bringing the total number of failures up to 32 in 2009. The first failure was a wholesale banking operator in Georgia that served 1,400 other lenders across the US, became the fifth biggest bank failure in terms of assets.

• Saturday, May 2nd 2009 - 10:13 UTC

  US car sales down but “Fusion” helps Ford increase market share

  

  United States car sales continued to struggle in April as cash-conscious consumers remained reluctant to buy new vehicles, and the industry faced turmoil. Chrysler saw a 48% drop in April sales from the same month a year ago, a day after seeking bankruptcy protection.