Politics

Saturday, December 31st 2016 - 15:57 UTC
Brazilian presidency caught red-handed cancels luxurious catering for Força Aérea 01

Following public embarrassment the Brazilian government canceled a tender for the purchase of luxurious food items to supply Michel Temer's presidential airplane with a total value of more than R$ 1.7 million (US$ 520.000).
Saturday, December 31st 2016 - 15:45 UTC
Trump praises Putin for waiting for his inauguration and not reacting to US sanctions

US President-elect Donald Trump on Friday praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for not reacting immediately to Washington's sanctions over alleged interference in his election. ”Great move (...) I always knew he was very smart, ”Trump wrote on Twitter.
Saturday, December 31st 2016 - 15:20 UTC
End of controversy? Venezuela says it has “transferred” the Mercosur chair to Argentina

Venezuela announced on Friday that it had transferred the Mercosur pro tempore chair to Argentina, having ended its “legitimate tenure” of the post, although the rest of the block's members had already complied with the formalities two weeks ago when they also decided to suspend the regime of president Nicolas Maduro.
Saturday, December 31st 2016 - 06:38 UTC
Death of Greek ambassador to Brazil seemingly a crime of passion arranged by his wife

Greece's ambassador to Brazil, Kyriakos Amiridis, was assassinated in a suburb of Rio de Janeiro, apparently in a “crime of passion” planned by his wife - of Brazilian origin - and her lover, a military policeman who is suspected of having actually committed the murder, police said this Friday.
Friday, December 30th 2016 - 17:40 UTC
An attempt to bypass Lords could turn into fresh legal challenge for Brexit

A fresh legal challenge to triggering Brexit could be launched unless UK Prime Minister Theresa May allows the House of Lords to vote on the issue. Businesswoman Gina Miller, who helped bring the action which saw the High Court insist the Commons must vote on invoking Article 50, has said the upper House of Parliament also needs a “proper debate”.
Friday, December 30th 2016 - 17:36 UTC
The 100 Bolivar notes refuse to die: Maduro extends their use until January 20

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says his government will extend the use of 100-bolivar notes to January 20, after a plan to withdraw those bills from the economy sparked protests across the country and widespread looting.
Friday, December 30th 2016 - 17:18 UTC
Brazil's unemployment rate reaches a record high of 11.9%: this means 12.1m out of a job

Brazil's unemployment rate from September to November reached a record high of 11.9%, the country's statistics agency IBGE said. This new rate is a significant year-on-year hike over the same period in 2015, when it stood at 9%.
Friday, December 30th 2016 - 17:04 UTC
Odebrecht bribes' return ratio: for each million paid out it earned US$ 4m in contracts

According to the Swiss Public Prosecutor, Odebrecht regularly paid Brazilian politicians and political parties from secret accounts in Geneva. For every US$1 million that the company paid out to politicians, it earned back US$4 million in contracts.
Friday, December 30th 2016 - 05:00 UTC
Prosecutor Nisman's filing to be reopened and investigated, Criminal Court rules

The Federal Criminal Court of Appeals Thursday ordered the reopening of the case filed by former AMIA Special Prosecutor Alberto Nisman four days before he was found dead against then Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner for the alleged cover-up of the Iranian nationals suspected of being behind the AMIA bombing in July, 1994.
Friday, December 30th 2016 - 04:16 UTC
Venezuela second on world murder ranking with 28,479 yearly killings, says NGO

The new figures leave President Nicolas Maduro's country behind only El Salvador. Honduras comes in third but way behind the front runners. The Venezuelan Observatory on Violence (OVV) NGO announced that 28,479 killings over the course of the year is tantamount to 91.8 such deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.