Stories for November 13th 2012
Colombia/FARC peace talks delayed until Monday on “technical details”
Peace talks between Colombia's government and FARC rebels scheduled to start in Cuba this week will be delayed until Monday so negotiators can work on “technical” details, both sides said on Tuesday.
Brazil orange shipments to EU suspended after samples of black spot fungus found
Orange shipments from Brazil to the European Union were suspended after EU officials found samples with black spot fungus, a Brazilian government official said.
US public opinion pessimistic about a political agreement on the ‘fiscal cliff’
A majority of Americans expect the US to go over the fiscal cliff at the beginning of 2013 and would blame Republicans if that happened, according to a poll published Tuesday. On Friday Democrat and Republican congressional leaders are scheduled to begin discussions.
Argentines and Brazilians pay the most tax in Latam, says OECD
Argentines and Brazilians pay the most tax in Latin America while Venezuelans pay the least, according to a report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), released on Tuesday.
“Only a third of countries qualified for UN Human Rights Council”, claim advocate groups
Human rights groups have criticized the election by the United Nations General Assembly of several countries with questionable rights' records to the UN Human Rights Council. Of the 18 countries elected Monday to the Geneva-based body, human rights advocates say only about a third are qualified.
PM Cameron and Foreign Secretary Hague pay tribute to Sir Rex Hunt
British Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague paid tribute to the former governor of the Falkland Islands Sir Rex Hunt who died at the age of 86 on Sunday.
Latam rapidly turning into middle class continent, says World Bank
A World Bank report released Tuesday found that Latin America and the Caribbean registered a 50% jump in the number of people joining the middle class during the last decade, which was called by economists an historic achievement for a region long exposed to wealth inequality.
Spanish banks suspend evictions for next two years for the most vulnerable
Spanish banks are suspending evictions for the next two years for the most vulnerable people. An estimated 350,000 families have been evicted from their homes since Spain's property market crashed in 2008.
Ecuador’s President Correa runs for a third consecutive term next February
Ecuador President Rafael Correa officially announced this weekend that he would run for a third term in February elections -- a contest in which he is expected to be the runaway favourite.
Brazil and Argentina sign ‘combined military operations’ agreement
Brazil announced on Monday its first agreement on combined operations with Argentina which will allow the two countries forces to act jointly in catastrophe situations and peace missions.
