Politics

• Thursday, August 18th 2011 - 06:37 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez “must have done something right” to have 50% support

  

  Buenos Aires City Mayor Mauricio Macri’s campaign advisor Jaime Durán Barba considered that President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner “must have done something right” to get so many votes in last Sunday’s primary elections, and assured that the Alfonsín-De Narváez alliance “is the one that lost most votes.”

• Thursday, August 18th 2011 - 06:26 UTC

  FIFA is “like an old boys’ network” claims Transparency International

  

  FIFA should limit terms for senior officials, set up an independent group to clear up anti-corruption allegations and “embrace transparency,” corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI) said.

• Thursday, August 18th 2011 - 03:00 UTC

  CFK message to business leaders: cut imports, boost supply, State assures demand

  

  Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, CFK, demanded a “cultural change” from business and corporate leaders so as to bring down imports and increase the supply of goods and services, as well as doubling investments, while the State ‘stimulates demand’.

• Thursday, August 18th 2011 - 02:54 UTC

  Brazilian Agriculture minister steps down following corruption allegations

  

  Brazilian Agriculture minister Wagener Rossi resigned to his post Wednesday following revelations of irregularities in his office thus becoming the fourth minister to step down, in eight months, of President Dilma Rousseff administration.

• Wednesday, August 17th 2011 - 23:36 UTC

  IMF chief Lagarde on trial for complicity of embezzlement in France

  

  French magistrates formally opened an investigation into IMF chief Christine Lagarde this week for possible misconduct in approving a huge payment to a friend of President Nicolas Sarkozy when she was Finance minister.

• Wednesday, August 17th 2011 - 23:15 UTC

  Venezuela: biggest oil reserves, but also record corruption and mismanagement

  

  Venezuela received an enviable honour last month: OPEC said it is sitting on the biggest reserves of crude oil in the world – even more than Saudi Arabia. But the Venezuelan oil industry is also sitting atop a well of trouble.

• Wednesday, August 17th 2011 - 07:45 UTC

  Brazil’s ruling coalition looses one member following corruption allegations

  

  One of the smallest parties from the Brazilian ruling coalition has stepped down with “no hard feelings” and will now adopt a ‘critical support’ attitude towards the administration of President Dilma Rousseff.

• Wednesday, August 17th 2011 - 07:35 UTC

  Only seven Latam universities among the 500 ranking from Shanghai Jiao Tong

  

  US universities continue to dominate the upper echelons of world rankings, taking 17 of the top 20 spots in the Shanghai Jiao Tong top 500 ranking. Five Brazilian, one Mexican and one Argentine figure among the 500 list.

• Wednesday, August 17th 2011 - 01:08 UTC

  Rousseff congratulates CFK; the two leaders plan meeting before G-20 in Cannes

  

  President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, congratulated President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, CFK, on Tuesday, following the results of the primary elections on Sunday in which she led by over 50 points.

• Tuesday, August 16th 2011 - 06:16 UTC

  Ambassador in Brazil Shannon back to Washington to help undermanned State Department

  

  US Ambassador to Brazil Thomas Shannon is returning to Washington to serve as acting Undersecretary of state for political affairs while the State Department awaits the confirmation of President Barack Obama’s nominee for the post, Wendy Sherman.