Stories for December 21st 2011

Wednesday, December 21st 2011 - 05:29 UTC
Ecuador wants closer ties between Mercosur and the Andean-Pacific countries

Ecuadorean president Rafael Correa said he was satisfied with having presented an official request for his country to join Mercosur and also called for closer links between Mercosur and the Andean Nations Community, CAN.
Wednesday, December 21st 2011 - 02:33 UTC
Forty years ago the Catholic Liberation Theology was born in Latinamerica

Four decades ago a book written by a Peruvian priest sent shockwaves inside the Latinamerican Catholic Church having set the foundations for what was known as the Liberation Theology.
Wednesday, December 21st 2011 - 02:28 UTC
Regional inter-trade expands 25% and is expected to reach record 160bn dollars

Trade among ALADI, Latin American Integration Association, which includes all the hemisphere countries with the exception of a few from Central America and the Caribbean, is expected to reach a historic record in 2011 close to 160 billion dollars, ahead of the 2008 record with 146 billion dollars.
Wednesday, December 21st 2011 - 02:26 UTC
Congress votes Rajoy PM who anticipates even tougher austerity measures

Spanish lawmakers voted Tuesday to make conservative leader Mariano Rajoy the new prime minister, approving his program of sweeping budget cuts and tough economic reforms.
Wednesday, December 21st 2011 - 02:22 UTC
Chilean student leader Camila Vallejo, person of the year for The Guardian

Chile’s 23-year-old student leader Camila Vallejo, has been chosen as the person of the year in a poll of readers of British newspaper, The Guardian. Vallejo, the international face of 2011’s student protests in Chile, topped the poll with an overwhelming 78% of votes.
Wednesday, December 21st 2011 - 00:52 UTC
Britain skips contribution to the IMF for a Euro zone bailout fund

Britain’s refusal to contribute to the IMF for a Euro zone bailout fund has left the EU short of its 200 billion Euro target. The UK boycott leaves the Euro zone more reliant than ever on major economies such China and on Russia, which are willing to lend more to the IMF.
Wednesday, December 21st 2011 - 00:48 UTC
”Gibraltar at this moment, a minor issue” says Spanish Conservative think-tank

A senior director at a Conservative think-tank founded by Jose Maria Aznar, Spain’s former Popular Party prime minister, said Gibraltar was low on the list of priorities for Madrid, particularly at a time of crisis when it needed the UK as an ally.
Wednesday, December 21st 2011 - 00:45 UTC
UK readies plan for ex-pats evacuation in the event of Spain and Portugal banking collapse

Gibraltar could play a role in contingency plans drawn up by the Foreign Office to evacuate British expatriates in the event of a banking collapse in Spain and Portugal, according to the Sunday Times.
Wednesday, December 21st 2011 - 00:32 UTC
Chavez tells Obama “leave us alone” and called him “clown” and an “embarrassment”

President Hugo Chavez called on Barack Obama to stop meddling in Venezuelan affairs, “leave us alone” and described the US leader as a “clown” and an “embarrassment”. Chavez is currently in Montevideo for the Mercosur summit.