United States

• Thursday, July 16th 2009 - 07:37 UTC

  Obama administration and Cuba agree to further dialogue

  

  The first talks between US President Barrack Obama’s administration and Cuba ended with an invitation for US diplomats to visit Havana in December, marking the official beginning of the first dialogue between Havana and Washington in six years.

• Wednesday, July 15th 2009 - 07:55 UTC

  Exxon-Mobil partners with biotech company to develop fuels from algae

  

  The world’s largest publicly traded oil company Exxon Mobil said Tuesday it will make its first major investment in greenhouse gas reducing bio-fuels in a 600 million US dollars partnership with biotech company Synthetic Genomics Inc. to develop fuels from algae. The US corporation will be joining other oil giants (Shell and BP) that have been investing in bio-fuels.

• Monday, July 13th 2009 - 11:50 UTC

  US trade deficit in 2009, 350 billion USD less than in 2008

  

  United States saw its deficit narrow to 26 billion US dollars in May, its lowest level in more than nine years, according to figures from the Commerce Department. Imports continued to fall while exports increased, pushing the deficit to its lowest level since November 1999.

• Saturday, July 11th 2009 - 15:17 UTC

  New leaner GM is born: four key brands and 61% owned by US government

  

  General Motors (GM) says it has emerged from bankruptcy protection after creating a “new GM” made up of the carmaker's best assets. GM chief executive Fritz Henderson said it was the beginning of a “new era”.

• Friday, July 10th 2009 - 12:42 UTC

  Lula da Silva “football diplomacy” distends the G8 summit

  

  United States President Barack Obama and Brazilian President Lula da Silva took time out from their overloaded Thursday agendas to talk about the United States' defeat to Brazil in last month's Confederations Cup Final played in South Africa.

• Friday, July 10th 2009 - 12:10 UTC

  Billionaire Buffet suggests US may need second stimulus package

  

  United States widely respected investor and financial wizard Warren Buffet said on Thursday unemployment in the US could reach 11% and a second stimulus package could be needed to pull the world’s largest economy out of recession.

• Thursday, July 9th 2009 - 12:51 UTC

  Hillary Clinton speaks out for freedom of expression and of the press

  

  US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in favour of an adequate protection to the media in Venezuela, as well as in other countries. The US top diplomat considered that the freedom of expression and freedom of the press are fundamental values for democracy.

• Thursday, July 9th 2009 - 12:32 UTC

  US regulators target speculation in the energy markets

  

  A United States regulator is to hold hearings to decide whether it should clamp down on speculation in the energy market.

• Wednesday, July 8th 2009 - 07:23 UTC

  Loan delinquencies in the US hit a new record

  

  The level of people falling behind with consumer loans in the US hit a new high in the first three months of 2009, the American Bankers Association said. Rising unemployment was behind the missed payments, it suggested.

• Monday, July 6th 2009 - 19:43 UTC

  “Colombian Musicians in New York”

  

  A large crowd was drawn to New York's Highline Ballroom for the VI Encuentro of Colombian Musicians. This annual music and dance gathering of Colombian musicians in New York, brought together a marathon of 20 of NYC’s most renowned Colombian bands, celebrating the diverse Colombian genres of cumbia, currulao, vallenato, joropo, bambuco, pasillo, and other diverse rhythms, all originally from Colombia.