United States

• Wednesday, January 14th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Obama promises a “new chapter” in relations with Latam

  

  Barack Obama, who takes over as US President on January 20 promised a “new chapter” in relations with Latinamerica and stronger US-Mexico links, following a meeting on Monday with President Felipe Calderón in Washington. It was Obama's first meeting with a foreign leader since his November election.

• Sunday, January 11th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Mini-sub seeks clues to sea levels below Antarctic ice shelves

  An autonomous British yellow robot submarine has just set out on a mission which will see it plunge deep beneath Antarctic ice shelves to seek clues to world ocean level rises. The seven meter yellow sub will probe the underside of ice at the end of the Pine Island glacier, which is moving faster than any other in Antarctica.

• Friday, January 9th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Obama and Mexico's Calderón to meet in Washington

  President-elect Barack Obama will meet with Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Monday in Washington. Obama transition officials said the visit was in keeping with the tradition of U.S. presidents meeting with their Mexican counterpart soon after winning election.

• Thursday, January 8th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Obama urges “drastic action” from Congress on stimulus plan

  US President-elect Barack Obama has called for “drastic action” to prevent the US economic situation worsening. In his first major policy speech since being elected, Mr Obama urged Congress to act quickly to pass his 800 billion US dollars stimulus plan.

• Wednesday, January 7th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Bush's Presidential medals for Uribe, Blair and Howard

  United Status outgoing president George W. Bush will be presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Uribe and to the former prime ministers of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair and John Howard from Australia.

• Wednesday, January 7th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  On his last days Bush turns advocate of maritime monuments

  A vast swathe of the Pacific, including an area near New Zealand territory, has been declared part of a United States national maritime monument. President George Bush, in the dying days of his administration, made the startling declaration by saying in the White House “we're fixing to do some fabulous policy”.

• Wednesday, January 7th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Obama takes off with 1,2 trillion budget deficit, 8.3% of GDP

  The sharp slowdown in the US economy will push the federal budget deficit to more than one trillion US dollars, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) announced Wednesday. The 1.186 trillion USD deficit for the fiscal year ending on 30 September would be the largest on record.

• Friday, December 26th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  President Bush revokes pardon to NY property developer

  US President George W Bush has taken the unusual step of reversing a pardon he had announced only a day earlier for a New York property developer. Isaac Robert Toussie, convicted of making false statements to a government department and mail fraud, was one of 19 people President Bush pardoned on Tuesday.

• Thursday, December 25th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Wiesel foundation looses all assets to Madoff's Ponzi fraud

  

  The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity lost more than 15 million US dollars, nearly all of its assets, in the fraud scheme run by Wall Street financer Bernard Madoff, the fund said Wednesday in a short release.

• Tuesday, December 23rd 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Caterpillar slashing white-collar pay and planning job cuts

  Caterpillar Inc, the world's largest maker of heavy construction and mining equipment, said Monday it is cutting white-collar pay by up to 50% and offering buyouts to as many as 25.000 US employees as it looks to cut costs during what it characterized as “uncertain times.”