Stories for June 25th 2011

Saturday, June 25th 2011 - 10:17 UTC
Great victory for gay rights movement: New York legalizes same-sex marriage

New York lawmakers narrowly voted to legalize same-sex marriage Friday, handing activists a breakthrough victory in the state where the gay rights movement was born. New York thus becomes the sixth state in the US where gay couples can wed and the biggest by far.
Saturday, June 25th 2011 - 08:00 UTC
Canada interested in closer links with Mercosur announces ‘exploratory talks’

Canada and Mercosur agreed on Friday to hold exploratory talks to strengthen their relationship, Canadian Trade Minister Ed Fast said on Friday. Fast is currently in Asunción to promote bilateral trade and investments, and Paraguay currently holds the Mercosur chair.
Saturday, June 25th 2011 - 07:54 UTC
Argentina’s economic activity soars 9.1% in first four months, says Indec

Argentina’s economic activity level increased 9.1% in the first four months of the year compared to the same period of 2010 fuelled by domestic consumption, manufacturing and international trade, according to the country’s Statistics and Census Office, Indec.
Saturday, June 25th 2011 - 07:49 UTC
Brazil preparing to licence 45 ports to operators; the first Amazon city of Manaus

Brazil's government, which has already begun the process of handing over airports to private investment, is now preparing 45 ports to be licensed to operators, Estado de S Paulo newspaper reported Friday.
Saturday, June 25th 2011 - 07:44 UTC
Torture remains prevalent in too many countries, UN warns

Too many countries are still practising or tolerating “cruel, degrading and illegal” acts of torture, top United Nations officials said today as they pledged the UN's solidarity with the millions of torture victims worldwide.
Saturday, June 25th 2011 - 07:40 UTC
Argentina not to be sanctioned over money laundering, says FATF

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) announced it will not sanction Argentina over money laundering and “admitted the political commitment and the progress achieved by the country, specially the great advances it made in the regulations after the approval of the law to fight the money laundering, and the recommendations given in order to continue improving the system.”
Saturday, June 25th 2011 - 07:35 UTC
Europe tightens borders to block the influx of immigrants

European Union leaders agreed Friday to tighten migration safeguards, including potentially reintroducing border controls between states, in a controversial response to an influx of migrants fleeing North Africa's upheaval.
Saturday, June 25th 2011 - 07:28 UTC
Clarin group heirs give DNA blood samples to quell suspicions about their biological origin

The adopted children of one of one of the wealthiest women in Argentina came forward to give blood and saliva samples Friday, hoping to quell suspicions they were stolen as babies from murdered political prisoners during military rule.
Saturday, June 25th 2011 - 07:24 UTC
Leading Argentine incumbent Vice-president hopeful steps down

A leading candidate to become Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s running mate in the October presidential elections has been discarded following his decision to run for re-election as governor of his province.
Saturday, June 25th 2011 - 07:18 UTC
Chile among lowest for teen births in Latam, but still double the UK

Out of every 1,000 girls aged 15-19 in Chile, 51 become pregnant and give birth to a child, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). These latest figures place Chile’s percentage below pregnancy rates for all other South American countries, but still far behind nations outside the region.