Politics

• Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 04:48 UTC

  Let’s hope “they wont’ have stolen Government House and Plaza de Mayo”

  

  An Argentine Senator from the ruling Justicialista party, several times tipped as a presidential hopeful harshly criticized the government while saying that the people of Argentina would be “pleased” when ”they (the Kirchner couple) leave in 2011,“ so they won't have ”stolen Government House and Plaza de Mayo.”

• Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 04:35 UTC

  Ex-president Kirchner recovering favourably but will have “to control stress”

  

  Former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner is recovering favourably after emergency surgery on his carotid artery, the chief surgeon on the case said Monday.

• Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 04:31 UTC

  Cuba renews attempt to boost farm production and cut food import bill

  

  Cuban President Raul Castro has announced a five-year plan that he hopes will ease the country's economic problems and reliance on food imports. Basically the agricultural reform this time will be to surround cities with small urban farms so private citizens can raise animals and grow fruits and vegetables.

• Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 04:21 UTC

  Carnival takes off and Brazilian government hands out millions of condoms

  Brazilian health officials have kicked off an AIDS awareness campaign and will hand out 55 million condoms during the annual Carnival festival that begins this weekend.

• Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 04:06 UTC

  Chavez ready “any time” to declare “electricity emergency”

  

  Venezuela is facing the worst drought in a century and needs to be placed under an “electricity emergency,” President Hugo Chavez said Monday in his new, “any-time” radio program “Suddenly With Chavez.”

• Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 04:03 UTC

  Unasur summit on Haiti could help ease regional tensions

  

  Union of South American Nations, Unasur, leaders meet Tuesday in Quito, Ecuador to discuss the continent’s response to the crisis in earthquake devastated Haiti. The extraordinary summit’s initiative was sponsored by Ecuador’s president Rafael Correa following his visit to Haiti where he met with President René Preval.

• Tuesday, February 9th 2010 - 02:23 UTC

  Lula da Silva beefs up federal payroll with 46.000 new posts

  

  The administration of Brazilian president Lula da Silva increased the federal payroll since 2003 with 64.000 new posts and is planning another 46.000 in this the last year of his two four-year mandate, according to government sources.

• Monday, February 8th 2010 - 20:29 UTC

  Bid to sell the Falkland Islands as gateway to Antarctica

  

  Informal talks began this week on a proposal to market the Falkland Islands to tourists as the “Gateway to Antarctica”, according to a report from the Penguin News latest edition.

• Monday, February 8th 2010 - 10:05 UTC

  Costa Rica elects Chinchilla first woman president

  

  Laura Chinchilla, a protege of Nobel peace laureate President Oscar Arias, won a landslide election victory in Costa Rica on Sunday to become the country's first woman elected president.

• Monday, February 8th 2010 - 05:08 UTC

  Russia displaces the US as main supplier of arms to Latinamerica

  

  The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a British research institute focusing on international security, revealed that Russia in 2009 became the main exporter of weapons to Latin America thanks to the purchases made by Venezuela, but also to Brazil, Mexico, Peru and Colombia.