As representatives of the 25 Members of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) meet this week in Hobart, where they will decide the fate of two key protection proposals in the Ross Sea and East Antarctica, the Antarctic Ocean Alliance (AOA) (*) called on the member countries to honor their conservation commitments and finally agree to lasting and significant Southern Ocean protection.
President Evo Morales swept to a third term with 61% of the vote, electoral officials said in confirming the result. The October 12 balloting was a massive vote of support and a strong mandate to expand his reforms which will have a swift legislative discussion since Morales party obtained two thirds of the Legislative Assembly benches.
Uruguay's general elections next Sunday are not only a neck-to-neck dispute between the two main presidential candidates, (unpredictable only six months ago), but are also revealing that the ruling coalition has lost its dominant allure over new voters, according to pollsters.
Brazilian President and candidate for reelection Dilma Rousseff admitted that funds were illegally diverted at the state-run oil firm Petrobras, allegedly to benefit political parties allied with the government, and she promised to seek reimbursement of that money.
Pope Francis closed on Sunday an assembly of Catholic bishops that revealed deep divisions on how to reach out to homosexuals and divorced people, saying the Church should not be afraid of change and new challenges.
Switzerland took a step forward on implementing its double taxation agreement (DTA) with Argentina as the Federal Council adopted the dispatch on the deal and submitted it to parliament for approval. Meanwhile, in Argentina the agreement has already been passed by the Foreign Affairs and Budget Committees of the Lower House and was cleared for debate.
The number of homicides per year in Argentina dropped from a peak of 4.630 back in 2002, but this did not impede that in the following decade that figure totaled, 31.992, according to official stats from the country's Healthcare ministry.
Leaders of China's ruling Communist Party opened a highly-anticipated meeting Monday, as state media emphasized the need to tighten control over the country's legal system. Known as the Fourth Plenum, it brings together the party's 205-strong Central Committee and around 170 reserve members, along with officials from bodies including its much-feared internal watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
Argentina's newly-appointed Central Bank (BCRA) governor Alejandro Vanoli claimed a “devaluation attempt” by 'concentrated powers' and rejected any official plans to downward the value of the country’s currency. He pledged to discourage speculation and to “put an end to abuses from financial institutions.”
London's Daily Mirror had taken on the Royal Navy arguing that the shrunken service now has nearly twice as many admirals as surface warships. In effect despite destroyers and frigates being cut to a paltry 19, the Senior Service still boasts 33 admirals on £100,000 a year.