Stories for 2014

Friday, May 30th 2014 - 03:41 UTC
Brazil's leading anti-corruption Justice announces he is stepping down

Supreme Court Chief Justice Joaquim Barbosa, who with an iron hand presided over a well-known corruption trial that resulted in important politicians going to jail, will step down from the bench this year, Brazil's Senate leader said Thursday.
Friday, May 30th 2014 - 00:58 UTC
UN honors the 'long and proud history' of one million UN peacekeepers

Hailing the “long and proud” history of United Nations peacekeeping – with over one million “blue helmets” having served in more than 70 operations on four continents since 1948 – Secretary General Ban Ki-moon led the Organization on Thursday in honoring those men and women who lost their lives in the past year, while looking to the future, envisioning a modern, global force that can effectively tackle emerging peace and security challenges.
Thursday, May 29th 2014 - 22:06 UTC
Rousseff sends the Army to safeguard airports and hotels hosting national teams

Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff ordered the Army, which already occupies several of the favelas (shanty towns) in Rio do Janeiro to move in and take responsibility for airports and hotels that will be hosting the 32 national teams competing for the World Cup.
Thursday, May 29th 2014 - 06:35 UTC
Argentina and Russia ratify close links; Moscow reaffirms Malvinas claim support

Argentina was formally invited to take part in a BRICS summit to be held in Brazil next month. The Kremlin also ratified support to Buenos Aires in its long-standing dispute with the UK over the sovereignty of the Malvinas Islands.
Thursday, May 29th 2014 - 06:26 UTC
Argentina is the most protectionist country of the region” claims Astori

Uruguay's vice-president Danilo Astori said that Argentina is “the most protectionist country in the region” and again questioned the effectiveness of Mercosur arguing that Uruguay can't forget the region but can't be expected to remain idle.
Thursday, May 29th 2014 - 06:07 UTC
Buenos Aires City households need 1.300 dollars per month; 25% don't make that sum

A family living in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires needs 10.454 Pesos to make it to the end of the month, according to the city's stats and census office. The average household refers to a couple with two children, that pays rent and does not include transport, private education or health care.
Thursday, May 29th 2014 - 06:00 UTC
US Lower House approves legislation to impose sanctions on Venezuela

The US House of Representatives passed legislation on Wednesday, to impose sanctions on Venezuelans responsible for human rights abuses during anti-government protests, despite Obama administration worries that they could threaten talks seeking to ease the unrest.
Thursday, May 29th 2014 - 05:51 UTC
Brazil's central bank opted to leave rate unchanged at 11%, “at this moment”

Brazil left its benchmark interest rate unchanged on Wednesday. In a unanimous decision, the central bank's monetary policy committee, Copom, kept the Selic rate at 11%, breaking a streak of nine consecutive hikes as expected by a majority of analysts and market traders.
Thursday, May 29th 2014 - 05:37 UTC
Argentina announces an understanding with the Paris Club on defaulted debt

Following twelve hours of discussions the Argentine delegation headed by Economy Minister Axel Kicillof managed on Wednesday to agree the main points for Argentina to overcome the approximately 9.5bn dollars default with countries that make up the Paris Club, according to late reports from the French capital.
Thursday, May 29th 2014 - 02:45 UTC
WHO calls on countries to raise taxes on tobacco to prevent addiction

On World No Tobacco Day (31 May), WHO calls on countries to raise taxes on tobacco to encourage users to stop and prevent other people from becoming addicted to tobacco. Based on 2012 data, WHO estimates that increasing tobacco taxes by 50%, all countries would reduce the number of smokers by 49 million within the next three years and ultimately save 11 million lives.