Stories for February 26th 2014

Wednesday, February 26th 2014 - 23:13 UTC
OAS Permanente Council special meeting on Venezuelan situation suspended

The meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS), Permanent Council convened to evaluate the possibility of holding a meeting of ambassadors to address the current political situation in Venezuela, has been postponed after pressure from the Venezuelan Government, said Carlos Ponce, coordinator for the Latin American and Caribbean Network for Democracy (Redlad).
Wednesday, February 26th 2014 - 23:04 UTC
Falklands/Malvinas: Argentina has “no conflict hypothesis” says Defense head

Minister of Defense Agustín Rossi said Argentina has no “conflict hypothesis” regarding the Falklands/Malvinas Islands, strongly denying statements from a British newspaper which argued the UK was closely monitoring Argentina's investment in military procurement.
Wednesday, February 26th 2014 - 20:33 UTC
Brazil farmers want a Mercosur/EU trade agreement even leaving Argentina out

Brazil would like free-trade talks between the European Union and Mercosur to include Argentina, but would be prepared to proceed without its regional ally if an understanding can't be reached on March 7, according to the head of Brazil's farming confederation.
Wednesday, February 26th 2014 - 07:16 UTC
“Argentine Antarctica Day” celebrations with special mention of South Georgia

Argentina celebrated on Tuesday 25 February, the “Argentine Antarctica Day”, which recalls the 110 years of uninterrupted presence of the country in Antarctica and included among the many activities displayed the scientific research cruise of May 2013 in waters adjoining the South Georgia islands.
Wednesday, February 26th 2014 - 07:10 UTC
Paraguay will chair Mercosur in the next six months, says Dilma Rousseff

Paraguay will hold the following rotating chair of Mercosur, (if the group's summit to be hosted by Venezuela and which has been delayed on several occasions really takes place). The announcement was made by Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff during her visit on Monday to Brussels for the Brazil/EU summit, who underlined that Brazil supports dialogue as the way out to the current situation in Venezuela.
Wednesday, February 26th 2014 - 07:03 UTC
Britain's oil and gas industry faces 'biggest challenge in 50 years' because of low level of exploration

Britain's oil and gas industry has warned it faces its “biggest challenge in 50 years” due to the low levels of exploration. Industry body Oil and Gas UK said only 15 wells were drilled last year. That was despite strong levels of investment, reaching a record last year and sustained this year.
Wednesday, February 26th 2014 - 06:58 UTC
Gibraltar announces discount on passenger dues to attract more cruise vessels

In a bid to attract more cruise ships to Gibraltar, the Minister for the Port, Neil Costa, has announced changes to the Port Rules, which regulate the amount of discount on passenger dues. The amendment allows ‘repositioning’ calls from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean or vice-versa to benefit from a 100% markdown on passenger dues.
Wednesday, February 26th 2014 - 06:50 UTC
How much does the taxman take, according to PWC and OECD?

Tax rates do vary dramatically depending on which country you live in. The accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) has crunched the numbers for the G20 nations. For each country, they calculated how much a high earner on a salary of $400,000 (£240,000) in 2013, with a mortgage of $1.2m (£750,000), would have left after all income tax rates and social security contributions.