April, 2016

• 9 April

  Polish workers in Britain worry about possibility of Brexit

  

  Poland / AP Hundreds of thousands of people whose personal fates hinge on whether Britain leaves the European Union or stays don’t even have a say in the matter: Polish immigrants, a community so numerous that Polish has become Britain’s second most-spoken language. When Poland and many other countries once behind the Iron Curtain joined the EU 12 years ago, ...

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• 9 April

  Rising US labour force belies Republican criticism of Obama

  

  Bloomberg It’s standard Republican criticism of President Barack Obama’s handling of the economy. Sure, unemployment has been halved from 10 percent in 2009 to 5 percent today. But that’s mainly because so many people have gotten so discouraged that they’ve just given up looking for work. Factor that in and real joblessness is a lot higher — 20 percent plus, ...

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• 9 April

  LatAm oil exporters urge oil producers to help stabilize market

  

  Quito / Reuters Latin America’s main oil exporters called on both OPEC and non-OPEC nations to take action to stabilize oil markets, in a timid statement that did not explicitly back an output freeze or offer more aggressive proposals to shore up slumping prices. Delegations from Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Venezuela met in Quito in the run-up to a meeting ...

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• 9 April

  Canada dollar surges most in 3 weeks after hiring tops estimates in March

  

  Bloomberg Canada’s dollar surged the most in three weeks after employers added more jobs in March than economists forecast, fanning speculation the Bank of Canada will refrain from cutting interest rates further. The loonie, as the Canadian dollar is known for the image of the aquatic bird on the C$1 coin, gained 1.2 percent to C$1.2988 per U.S. dollar at ...

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• 9 April

  Argentina bondholders say nation reneging on deals

  Bloomberg A group that holds defaulted Argentine bonds is seeking to block the nation from going forward with more than $6.2 billion in settlements until it gets paid. The investors, including Trinity Investments Limited, Attestor Value Master Fund and Bybrook Capital Master Fund, said the nation is claiming it doesn’t have to pay them if they waited too long to ...

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• 9 April

  Iowa corn fuels Brazil cars as demand spurs imports

  

  Bloomberg At the Plymouth Energy LLC plant in the heart of the U.S. corn belt — where home-grown fuel from grain was supposed to ease American dependence on foreign oil — every drop of ethanol goes to motorists in Brazil. Like many Midwest distillers, Plymouth’s Merrill, Iowa, plant was built a decade ago for a U.S. market that was importing ...

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• 9 April

  Kerry in Kabul on unannounced visit to support unity government

  

  Kabul / AFP US Secretary of State John Kerry landed in Kabul on Saturday on an unannounced visit to show support for the Afghan unity government and its attempts to revive peace talks with the Taliban. His visit comes as the extremist group is experiencing a resurgence following the withdrawal of US-led combat troops in 2014, announcing recently it was ...

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• 9 April

  Obama says Democrats are good for American govt

  SAN FRANCISCO/ AP President Barack Obama praised Democratic lawmakers for having his back through some politically tough votes and encouraged supporters to help elect more of them in November. “A Democratic Congress is good for America,” he said Friday. Obama also criticized Senate Republicans for refusing to consider his Supreme Court nominee and said GOP presidential candidates Donald Trump and ...

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• 9 April

  Freed Italian hostage leaves Philippines hospital

  Philippines / AFP A retired Italian priest held hostage for six months by suspected militants left a Philippine hospital on Saturday a day after his ordeal ended, looking frail though officials said he was in good health. His face partly hidden by a red baseball cap, Rolando Del Torchio stroked his grey beard and waved briefly before getting into an ...

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• 9 April

  Vietnam wraps up leadership change ahead of Obama visit

  Hanoi / AFP Vietnam’s rubber-stamp parliament approved 21 new minister positions on Saturday, state media reported, finishing off a leadership reshuffle among Communist top brass ahead of a visit by US President Barack Obama next month. The National Assembly approved three new deputy prime ministers and 18 other cabinet members, according to the legislature’s official website, concluding a change in ...

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