Stories for December 2018

Thursday, December 6th 2018 - 09:28 UTC
Populism is not an ideology, it's a political technique which thrives on angry people

Five of the world’s largest democracies now have populist governments, claimed The Guardian last week, and proceeded to name four: the United States, India, Brazil and the Philippines. Which is the fifth? At various points it name-checks Turkey, Italy and the United Kingdom, but it never becomes clear which. (And by the way, India’s prime minister Narendra Modi is not a populist. He’s just a nationalist.)
Thursday, December 6th 2018 - 09:20 UTC
Illegal financing of political parties now punishable by jail in Peru

Peru's Congress Wednesday passed the bill which adds illicit financing of political organizations to the Penal Code, it was announced.
Thursday, December 6th 2018 - 09:14 UTC
Russia drew Argentina's attention to Ilyushin-96 jets before G-20 Summit

The Russian aircraft manufacturer Ilyushin has sought to attract Argentina's interest to purchase their Il-96 jets of various specifications, it was revealed Wednesday.
Thursday, December 6th 2018 - 09:00 UTC
Scottish Parliament voted to formally reject UK's draft Brexit deal

The Scottish Parliament has voted by 92 to 29 to formally reject the UK government's draft Brexit deal. SNP, Labour, Green and Lib Dem members at Holyrood backed a motion rejecting the proposals, as well as the prospect of leaving without any deal. However, the parties have not come to a consensus on an alternative plan.
Thursday, December 6th 2018 - 08:45 UTC
Argentine manufacturing and construction declines during October

Manufacturing in Argentina fell 6.8% in October year on year, while construction declined 3.7%, and in the first ten months of this year 2.5% and 4.9% respectively according to the Indec statistics bureau report. Firms were hit hard by a contraction in economic activity and the devaluation of the Peso against the US dollar.
Thursday, December 6th 2018 - 08:34 UTC
French government suspends fuel tax, but protests continued across the country

The French government's decision to suspend fuel tax and utility hikes on Tuesday did little to appease protesters, who called the move a “first step” and vowed to fight on after large-scale rioting in Paris last weekend.
Thursday, December 6th 2018 - 08:28 UTC
Mexican president pressing foreign oil companies to show results

Mexico’s newly inaugurated president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, AMLO, is turning up the heat on foreign oil companies to show results before he holds new auctions.
Thursday, December 6th 2018 - 08:24 UTC
Guyana's tenth oil discovery makes her a future Latin American powerhouse

Thanks to ExxonMobil’s run of success in oil exploration offshore Guyana, the country is on a path to becoming a Latin American powerhouse, Wood Mackenzie said. The super-major announced its tenth Guyana discovery this week, increasing the discovered recoverable resource in its Stabroek Block to more than five billion barrels.
Wednesday, December 5th 2018 - 21:40 UTC
3G cellphone technology reaches Cuban customers, at long last

Cubans will have access for the first time to 3G mobile telephone technology starting this coming Thursday, the state-run telecoms monopoly in Cuba, Etecsa, announced Wednesday.
Wednesday, December 5th 2018 - 10:21 UTC
Bolivia's electoral court allows Evo to seek reelection despite 21F referendum

Bolivia's Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) Tuesday ruled by 3 votes to 2 that incumbent President Evo Morales and Vice-president Álvaro García Linera were allowed to run at the Movement to Socialism (MAS)'s primary elections to be held on January 27, 2019, where candidates for December's general elections are to be picked.