Stories for August 2013

Friday, August 16th 2013 - 03:15 UTC
Chief coordinator of Rio’s 2016 Olympics resigns triggering fears about Brazil’s ability to stage the games

The head of the public body coordinating planning for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro has resigned, raising concerns about the city's ability to stage the first games in South America. Resignation of Marcio Fortes, who headed the Olympic Public Authority, was confirmed Wednesday by the organization.
Friday, August 16th 2013 - 03:04 UTC
Brazil's June economic activity picked up, but recovery remains fragile

Brazil's economic activity grew at a slightly slower pace than expected in June despite strong industrial output, data showed on Thursday. The central bank's IBC-Br index climbed 1.13% in June from May in seasonally adjusted terms, up from a decline of 1.50% in the previous month.
Friday, August 16th 2013 - 02:57 UTC
Paraguay new president pledges ‘war on poverty’ and improved relations with neighbours

Conservative businessman Horacio Cartes was sworn in as president of Paraguay on Thursday, amid slowly improving relations with South American neighbors, and Mercosur members, damaged by the 2012 removal of populist President Fernando Lugo, who was impeached on incompetence.
Thursday, August 15th 2013 - 15:23 UTC
Invoking Falklands and common cause with Argentina, ‘Rajoy has burnt his boats with PM Cameron’

Roger Boyes, Diplomatic Editor of The Times, has criticised the recent tactics by Spain and urges the conservative government to return to a more positive approach to the Gibraltar question. Likewise by invoking the Falklands and making common anti-British cause with Argentina the Spanish PM “has burnt his boats with British PM David Cameron”.
Thursday, August 15th 2013 - 13:35 UTC
Malvinas/Gibraltar in Garcia Margallo’s agenda when he visits Argentina and meets Timerman

Spain’s Foreign affairs ministry Director General Ignacio Ibañez confirmed that Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel García-Margallo, would raise Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands with his Argentine counterpart, Hector Timerman, during a visit to Buenos Aires in early September.
Thursday, August 15th 2013 - 03:51 UTC
Mercosur controversy, Cartes main challenge when he takes office on Thursday

Most presidents and top authorities that will attend the inauguration of Paraguayan president-elect Horacio Cartes on Thursday morning arrived in Asunción on Wednesday and most of them have already held private meetings with the future leader of the country.
Thursday, August 15th 2013 - 03:45 UTC
With defiant fury Cristina Fernandez launched the campaign for October election

In an extremely aggressive speech in the aftermath of primaries defeat, Argentine president Cristina Fernandez blasted the media for misinterpreting electoral results, charged against the Mayor of Tigre Sergio Massa who was the big winner on Sunday, pressed for full commitment from her allies and promised more of the same in support of the ‘socially inclusive model’.
Thursday, August 15th 2013 - 03:40 UTC
Argentina ratifies economic policy, rejects austerity measures to balance the budget

Argentine Economy minister Hernán Lorenzino on Wednesday ratified current policies and “strongly” rejected an increase of budget austerity measures, while defending the debt reduction policy, but admitted the country “still suffers” from consequences of the international financial crisis.
Thursday, August 15th 2013 - 03:37 UTC
Argentina July inflation 2.55% and 24.9% in twelve months, says congressional index

Argentina’s inflation according to the ‘congressional index’ reached 2.55% in July and 24.9% in the last twelve months was announced on Wednesday by members from the opposition in the Lower House.
Thursday, August 15th 2013 - 03:20 UTC
UK likely to win at EU court the Gibraltar border ‘excessive checks’ case

Britain is likely to win a case against Spain over the imposition of excessive border queues and could get an interim order to ease the controls from the European Court of Justice said Professor Damian Chalmers an expert in EU law at LSE and who is a Jean Monnet Chair and was editor of the European Law Review and EU Jurist.