Mercosur

• Sunday, September 15th 2013 - 18:11 UTC

  Merkel coalition leads a week ahead of national elections in Germany

  

  The opposition Social Democrats has gained slightly in the last pre-election opinion poll by German public broadcaster ARD. Their candidate, Peer Steinbrück has raised some eyebrows by raising one of his own digits in a weekly newspaper supplement.

• Sunday, September 15th 2013 - 18:10 UTC

  China in ‘crucial’ restructuring stage, ‘much needed to sustain economic growth’

  

  China's economy is going through a “crucial” stage of restructuring, says the country's Premier, Li Keqiang. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in the Chinese port city of Dalian, Mr Li pledged to improve relations with foreign firms.

• Sunday, September 15th 2013 - 18:03 UTC

  Spain’s public debt hits a record high in June equal to 92.2% of GDP

  

  Spain's public debt reached a record high in June, the country's central bank said. The figure has risen to 942.8bn Euros, equal to 92.2% of the country's entire economic output, the bank said. This is nearly 15% higher than the same period last year and above the Spanish government's target limit of 91.4%, despite severe public spending cuts.

• Wednesday, September 11th 2013 - 22:02 UTC

  ”If Brazil devalues, Uruguay will follow”, President Mujica tells farmers

  

  President Jose Mujica said that Uruguay is ‘aligned’ with Brazil in economic policy, and if the government of President Dilma Rousseff decides to devalue its currency, “Uruguay will follow” and as Brazil, “Uruguay is not satisfied with the functioning of Mercosur”.

• Tuesday, September 10th 2013 - 02:04 UTC

  Special Mercosur parliament committee to help decide on Paraguay/Venezuela controversy

  

  Mercosur parliament, Parlasur, resumed activities on Monday and the first thing it agreed on was to name a committee to help find a way out to the controversy between Paraguay and Venezuela. Although Venezuela holds the rotating chair of Mercosur, Paraguay refuses to acknowledge even its status as full member of the regional group.

• Tuesday, September 10th 2013 - 00:37 UTC

  Paraguayan president Cartes visits Cristina Fernandez in Buenos Aires

  

  Paraguayan president Horacio Cartes is expected in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, following an invitation from his Argentine peer Cristina Fernandez, which will be his first overseas bilateral trip since taking office 15 August.

• Sunday, September 8th 2013 - 00:29 UTC

  Paraguay insists it does recognize Venezuela as a full member of Mercosur

  

  Paraguay as full member and in full exercise of that condition does not recognize Venezuela as president or full member of the group, according to a communiqué sent to all of Paraguay’s ministries and overseas representations.

• Tuesday, September 3rd 2013 - 01:37 UTC

  Paraguay insists in reviewing all decisions adopted by Mercosur during its 14-month suspension

  

  Foreign minister Eladio Loizaga said Paraguay will hold before Mercosur the same position it sustained at the Unasur summit in Suriname requesting that all decisions adopted during the last year and two months in which the country was suspended, are formally analyzed.

• Monday, September 2nd 2013 - 12:00 UTC

  Maduro apologizes to Paraguay for any ‘pain’ caused and promises ‘to repair the error’

  

  Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro apologized to his peer Paraguayan peer Horacio Cartes for any ‘pain’ caused to Paraguay and promised a ‘sacrifice’ to repair the ‘error’, according to sources from both presidents and from Brazilian leader Dilma Rousseff who sponsored the meeting between the two heads of state in the framework of the recent Unasur VII summit in Suriname.

• Saturday, August 31st 2013 - 15:30 UTC

  Falklands’ lawmaker arrives in Uruguay to inform on business opportunities in the Islands

  

  Falkland Islands member of the Legislative Assembly Dick Sawle will be in Montevideo 2-6 September, after spending a week in Brazil involved in business, academia and informal political contacts sponsored by the Foreign Office. In Uruguay according to the official release MLA Sawle will inform about business opportunities with the Falklands and to strengthen the historical ties with Uruguay.