United States

• Monday, November 9th 2009 - 12:38 UTC

  Gorbachev urges Obama to withdraw from Afghanistan

  

  Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has urged the United States to withdraw all its military forces from Afghanistan. Gorbachev told CNN in an interview on Sunday that “withdrawal from Afghanistan should be the goal.”

• Monday, November 9th 2009 - 10:15 UTC

  Lula da Silva tells Obama to look after “US drugs’ consumers”

  

  Brazilian president Lula da Silva warned his peer Barack Obama that South America “does not need US bases” in Colombia to combat narcotics trade and suggested he look after “US drugs consumers”.

• Saturday, November 7th 2009 - 09:11 UTC

  US economy shedding jobs for 22nd month in a row, longest period in 70 years

  

  The unemployment rate in the United States rose to 10.2% in October, which was its highest rate since April 1983, according to figures from the US Labour Department.
  Unemployment in September was 9.8%.

• Saturday, November 7th 2009 - 08:38 UTC

  Honduras crisis deal confirms Valenzuela nomination to the State Department

  

  The United States Senate finally approved Thursday evening the nomination of Arturo Valenzuela as Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, putting an end to three months of Republican veto because of the Obama administration policy towards Honduras.

• Saturday, November 7th 2009 - 06:38 UTC

  Obama has forgotten about Latinamerica, claims Lula da Silva

  

  Brazilian president Lula da Silva claims that his United States peer, Barack Obama has forgotten about Latinamerica after having promised a new relation with the continent. He also revealed he was working for a meeting between Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and Colombia’s Alvaro Uribe “so they can address their differences”.

• Friday, November 6th 2009 - 10:38 UTC

  US will recognize Honduras election with or without reinstated Zelaya

  

  United States will recognize the Honduran elections results regardless of whether former President Manuel Zelaya is returned to office and regardless of whether the vote on reinstatement takes place before or after November 29th, according to Republican Senator Jim DeMint who claims he was given guarantees to that effect by the US State Department.

• Thursday, November 5th 2009 - 13:07 UTC

  New row over Colombia-US accord

  

  Colombian opposition groups have reacted angrily after details of a controversial military deal with the US were made public.

• Thursday, November 5th 2009 - 08:27 UTC

  Fed leaves rates unchanged and admits businesses are still “cutting back”

  

  The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee kept US interest rates on hold at between 0% and 0.25%, as had been widely expected. Despite the US economy growing 3.5% in July to September - its first expansion since June 2008 - rates were left unchanged on Wednesday to further aid the recovery.

• Tuesday, November 3rd 2009 - 08:21 UTC

  Ford back on track makes one billion USD profit in third quarter

  

  Ford, one of the big three of the US auto industry has announced profits of almost one billion US dollars between July and September thanks to increased market share and a successful cost-cutting program.

• Tuesday, November 3rd 2009 - 08:00 UTC

  Twin Towers steel debris sail up the Hudson as “USS New York”

  

  A United States Navy assault vessel built partly with 7.5 tons of steel debris from the World Trade Centre sailed up New York's Hudson River on Monday in its first tribute to the more than 2,700 people killed in the September 2001 terrorist attacks.