December 12, 2013
Canadian-based company to invest US$238 million in Guyana’s mining sector
The Canada-based Guyana Goldfields says it is investing US$238 million in the Aurora Gold Project as the government said it was looking forward to large scale gold production by the company during the first quarter of 2015. Prime Minister Samuel…
December 12, 2013
Brazilian ex-president was ‘killed by military conspiracy’
An investigative commission in Brazil says it has found evidence that the ex-president Juscelino Kubitschek was murdered by the 1970s military regime. The Sao Paulo truth commission, a group of councillors from the city's assembly, is due to…
December 12, 2013
Uruguay marijuana move ‘illegal’ – UN drugs watchdog
Uruguay's decision to legalise the production, sale and consumption of marijuana violates international law, the UN drugs watchdog says. The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) warned that the move would endanger young people and…
December 12, 2013
White House says Obama-Castro handshake ‘not planned’
President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro's handshake at Nelson Mandela's memorial service was unplanned, the White House has said. White House aide Ben Rhodes told reporters the two exchanged nothing more substantive than a greeting.…
December 12, 2013
North Korean leader’s uncle ‘executed over corruption’
The once-powerful uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been executed after being purged for corruption, state news agency KCNA reports. Chang Song-thaek was dramatically removed from a Communist Party session by armed guards earlier this…
December 12, 2013
Mexico’s Congress approves measure to open oil resources
Mexico's Congress has approved a measure to open the state-run oil fields to foreign investment for the first time in 75 years, following a vote by the Senate earlier this week. The programme would let private firms explore and extract oil and gas…
December 12, 2013
Japan’s Cabinet Approves $53 Billion Stimulus
Japan's Cabinet has approved a $53 billion stimulus package to help offset the effects of an upcoming national sales tax hike. The stimulus spending measure passed Thursday is part of a supplementary budget for Japan's current fiscal year. The…
December 12, 2013
Iceland jails former Kaupthing bank bosses
Four former bosses from the Icelandic bank Kaupthing have been sentenced to between three and five years in prison. They are the former chief executive, the chairman of the board, one of the majority owners and the chief executive of the Luxembourg…
December 12, 2013
S Africa investigates ‘fake signer’ security checks
South Africa's deputy disability minister says the government is investigating how a man who faked sign language at the Mandela memorial was given security clearance. Thamsanqa Jantjie, who stood alongside world leaders at the event, has denied…
December 12, 2013
Opposition Leader Hanged for War Crimes in Bangladesh
Bangladesh on Thursday executed an opposition leader convicted of war crimes hours after the Supreme Court rejected his last-minute appeal. Bangladeshi officials confirmed that Abdul Qader Mollah was hanged to death at 10:01 p.m. local time. A VOA…