Dilemma X

Brazil announces nearly $32 billion in cuts to 2012 budget   AFP Brazil’s government on Wednesday announced nearly $32 billion in spending cuts to its 2012 budget but said social programs and major investments for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 summer Olympics would not be affected. “We have made a big cut of 55 […]

Jacob Zuma promises to boost the economy, skills and jobs with a massive infrastructure development   GAYE DAVIS, SUE SEGAR and MICHAEL MPOFU The Star (Johannesburg) Political Bureau   PRETORIA- Jacob Zuma’s promise to boost the economy, skills and jobs with a massive infrastructure development drive has been welcomed as a step in the right […]

Why Are the Chinese Buying Record Quantities of Gold? Gordon G. Chang, Contributor Forbes This month, the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department reported that China imported 102,779 kilograms of gold from Hong Kong in November, an increase from October’s 86,299 kilograms.  Beijing does not release gold trade figures, so for this and other reasons […]

UK’s tallest building adds drama to London’s skyline By MEERA SELVA Associated Press   LONDON— Passengers stepping out of London Bridge tube station cannot help but crane their necks to gaze at the jagged tower under construction: The Shard is the tallest building in the European Union and looks like a slice of glass balanced on […]

Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard rescued from angry protesters by police     Prime Minister Julia Gillard is escorted out for safety by body guards and police through a crowd of rowdy protesters following a ceremony to mark Australia’s national day in Canberra, Australia, Thursday Jan. 26, 2012. Some 200 supporters of indigenous rights surrounded […]

Brazil air travel triples since 2002 By MARCO SIBAJA Associated Press   BRASILIA, Brazil— Demand for flights in Brazil has nearly tripled in the past decade, authorities said Wednesday. That is straining a system that is under pressure to prepare for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics.   Brazil’s civil aviation agency said demand […]

Charles Taylor ‘worked’ for CIA in Liberia     BBC News   US authorities say former Liberian leader Charles Taylor worked for its intelligence agencies, including the CIA, the Boston Globe reports.   The revelation comes in response to a Freedom of Information request by the newspaper.   A Globe reporter told the BBC this […]

China to showcase Africa in the Year of the Dragon Africa-Asia Confidential China’s trade with Africa has overtaken the USA’s trade with the continent and will soon rival that of the European Union Officials are building up expectations for the fifth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC V), which Beijing will host in the last quarter […]

France to Sell Up to EU9.5 Billion ($12.8 billion) in debt after losing S&P AAA credit rating   By Anchalee Worrachate and Mark Deen Bloomberg  France will seek to raise as much as 9.5 billion euros ($12.8 billion) today in its first sale of medium and long-term debt after it lost the top credit rating at Standard […]

Jamaica to come out of UK Queen shadow PressTV The newly-sworn-in Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller wants to make her country a republic in a bid to rid the Caribbean island of the British Queen as the head of state. Simpson Miller said in her inaugural address that Jamaica should shake off the British […]