Mercosur

• Thursday, January 31st 2013 - 07:14 UTC

  Except for Uruguay, Mercosur ranks poorly in the World Press Freedom Index

  

  Argentina dropped seven positions and now ranks 54 in the 2013 World Press Freedom Index of 179 countries elaborated by Reporters Without Frontiers. Uruguay is the best ranked in South America, position 27, while other Mercosur full members standing are not very encouraging: Paraguay, 91; Brazil, 108 and Venezuela, 117.

• Wednesday, January 30th 2013 - 15:18 UTC

  Timerman taking the Falklands’ dispute to London in an event with EU figures

  

  Foreign minister Hector Timerman will be taking the Falklands/Malvinas sovereignty claim to London where next week he is scheduled to meet outstanding figures from 18 European countries that have been calling for a resumption of negotiations, according to a release from the Argentine embassy in UK.

• Wednesday, January 30th 2013 - 06:39 UTC

  Brazil committed to CELAC and to all regional and subregional integration groups

  

  Brazil said Latinamerica and Caribbean cohesion does not only mean strengthening CELAC (Community of Latinamerican and Caribbean States) but also advancing in the other integration processes of the region.

• Monday, January 28th 2013 - 17:59 UTC

  Argentine Jewish community blast agreement on ‘truth commission” with Iran

  

  Argentine Jewish community organizations, DAIA and AMIA strongly rejected on Monday the government of President Cristina Fernandez decision to sign an agreement with Iran for the naming of a special ‘truth’ commission referred to the 1994 attack to a Jewish organization in Buenos Aires which left 85 dead and hundreds injured.

• Monday, January 28th 2013 - 06:27 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez delaying Mercosur/EU discussions for a free trade agreement

  

  Argentine president Cristina Fernandez downplayed immediate discussions for the trade and cooperation agreement between EU and Mercosur arguing that the South American block should elaborate and discuss new proposals to be presented to the Europe Union on the last quarter of this year.

• Monday, January 28th 2013 - 06:08 UTC

  Cuba takes CELAC chair on Monday; expectations regarding Havana’s proposals

  

  The first summit of the Community of Latinamerican and Caribbean States, CELAC, the brain child of president Hugo Chavez, paid tribute to the Venezuelan leader who is recovering from cancer surgery in Havana, Cuba, the country that on Monday will be receiving the group’s chair from Chile.

• Sunday, January 27th 2013 - 02:03 UTC

  With Argentine navy’ honour lying on her side, Minister Puricelli could be next official removed

  

  The Argentine government has removed two top naval officers from their duties following the sinking, this week at her moorings pier-side of the destroyer “Santisima Trinidad” once the flagship of the service and which was actively involved in the invasion of the Falklands in 1982.

• Saturday, January 26th 2013 - 20:44 UTC

  Mercosur/Paraguay controversy reaches EU/CELAC summit in Chile

  

  Chile confirmed that Paraguay finally decided not to attend the EU/CELAC summit in Chile putting an end to a controversy when it emerged that several Mercosur and Unasur members insisted that the landlocked country should not be invited.

• Friday, January 25th 2013 - 17:48 UTC

  Argentina easing imports’ restrictions mainly for Mercosur associates

  

  The government of President Cristina Fernandez has decided to revoke non-automatic licensing requirements which had been placed on certain products before they could be imported into Argentina for consumption, according to a resolution published Friday on the Official Gazette. But earlier in the week Argentina increased the import tariff on a hundred products to the maximum authorized by WTO, which is 35%.

• Friday, January 25th 2013 - 15:24 UTC

  Falklands to host Commonwealth lawmakers’ conference: ‘self determination and devolution’ in agenda

  

  The Falkland Islands will be hosting the 43rd British Islands and Mediterranean Region (BIMR) Annual Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) from the 11th to 15th February 2013. This is the second time BIMR holds its annual conference in the Falklands, last time was in February 2004.