Stories for May 2015

Friday, May 22nd 2015 - 05:49 UTC
Brazil and Uruguay on an “urgent and necessary” redesign of Mercosur

Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez said it was “urgent and necessary” to redesign Mercosur so as to give its members greater 'trade flexibility'. Vazquez made the statements following Thursday meeting with his peer Dilma Rousseff in Brasilia and underlined “it would be naive to admit that Mercosur as it stands currently, is satisfactory”.
Friday, May 22nd 2015 - 05:42 UTC
Lagarde preaches fiscal discipline in one of Brazil's most dangerous slums

The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) encouraged Brazil on Thursday to pursue fiscal discipline, saying it was needed to protect social programs benefitting the poorest members of society. IMF chief Christine Lagarde made the link during a visit to Complexo do Alemao, one of Rio's largest and most dangerous slums and an example of the challenges the country faces as it struggles with low growth and high inflation
Thursday, May 21st 2015 - 07:27 UTC
Uruguay and Brazil summit to consider a more flexible Mercosur

Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez will be meeting his peer, Dilma Rousseff in Brasilia this Thursday to address a dense bilateral agenda, and more specifically the workings and future of Mercosur, in search for a more flexible group, open to agreements with third parties.
Thursday, May 21st 2015 - 07:08 UTC
Five world leading banks fined 5.7bn dollars for manipulating foreign exchange markets

Five of the world's largest banks are to pay fines totaling $5.7bn for charges including manipulating the foreign exchange market. Four of the banks - JPMorgan, Barclays, Citigroup and RBS - have agreed to plead guilty to US criminal charges, while the fifth, UBS from Switzerland will plead guilty to rigging benchmark interest rates.
Thursday, May 21st 2015 - 06:56 UTC
Iranian officers' interviews, allegedly linked to AMIA bombing, attract world media attention

The interviews with former Iranian officials accused of the 1994 AMIA bombing of a Jewish organization in downtown Buenos Aires aired this week by Argentine news channel C5N were covered by a number of international media outlets.
Thursday, May 21st 2015 - 06:45 UTC
Venezuelan government targets opposition leader Capriles for making “false allegations”

Barely one week after Venezuela’s President of the National Assembly of Venezuela Diosdado Cabello filed a defamation suit against 22 media executives and editors for publishing reports linking him to an international drug-trafficking, another high-level minister announced they would be filing suit against opposition leader Henrique Capriles for making “false allegations.”
Thursday, May 21st 2015 - 06:40 UTC
Pope Francis prays for Argentina on the country's National Day

Pope Francis has sent a letter to President Cristina Fernández to mark festivities for May week, during which Argentina commemorates the formation of the First Patriotic Government on 25 May 1810.
Thursday, May 21st 2015 - 06:26 UTC
Cristina Fernandez launches May Revolution week with strong messages

President Cristina Fernández led on Wednesday a rally in the Buenos Aires City central railway station of Retiro where she praised the renovation of Argentina's railway system in an event that was part of the official celebrations marking a new anniversary of the May Revolution, which in 1810 was the beginning of the country's road to independence.
Wednesday, May 20th 2015 - 22:45 UTC
Cruise ship freed off the coast of Bermuda with the arrival of high tide

A cruise ship with thousands of passengers headed to Boston in the US east coast was freed late Tuesday night after running aground off the coast of Bermuda. With the arrival of high tide, the ship was able to be freed and was moved to a nearby anchorage position, officials reported.
Wednesday, May 20th 2015 - 22:09 UTC
Falklands: “We are an Overseas Territory, very content with the status and endorsed in the 2013 referendum”

The Falkland Islands are very pleased with their current political and democratic status based on the UN charter and confirmed in the 2013 referendum, enjoy a prosperous economy with emphasis on social policies and environment conservation and have good neighborly relations with nearby countries, except for Argentina that “continues to ignore our people's right to self-determination and covet our territory”.