Politics

• Thursday, July 7th 2016 - 06:02 UTC

  Iraq war: UK, pushed by US sent ill-prepared troops into battle with inadequate plans for the aftermath

  

  The United States pushed the UK into military action in Iraq “too early”, a former British ambassador to the UN has said in the wake of the Chilcot report. The long-awaited report said ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair had overstated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein - and military action was not a last resort.

• Wednesday, July 6th 2016 - 06:54 UTC

  Brazil asks Mercosur chair transfer to Venezuela to be delayed until August

  

  The deep differences among Mercosur members as to who should hold the group's rotating chair this second half of the year surfaced openly in Montevideo with the surprise visit of Brazilian foreign minister Jose Serra and ex president Fernando Henrique Cardoso. The Brazilin delegation formally requested Uruguay, which currently holds the six/month Mercosur chair to suspend the transfer to Venezuela until at least August.

• Wednesday, July 6th 2016 - 04:16 UTC

  Spain to analyze Brexit impact for employment in Gibraltar neighboring areas

  

  The central Spanish Government and regional authorities in Andalucia are taking an increasingly-close interest on the impact that a United Kingdom withdrawal from the EU could have on communities in the Campo de Gibraltar, neighbouring with the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, and the region as a whole.

• Wednesday, July 6th 2016 - 04:02 UTC

  Temer extends a Rio Olympic Games open arms message to the world

  

  With just a month to go to the Olympic Games, Michel Temer Brazil’s interim president, invites the world to experience the beauty of Rio de Janeiro. The following is his welcome message to the world’s athletes, officials and fans:

• Tuesday, July 5th 2016 - 07:49 UTC

  Temer calls for “national reunification” at a friendly agro-business forum

  

  Brazil's interim president, Michel Temer emphasized the role of agro-industry in the country's development and called for “national reunification” to guarantee jobs in the sector.

• Tuesday, July 5th 2016 - 07:41 UTC

  Petrobras: new round of arrest warrants in three different states

  

  Brazil’s federal police served five arrest warrants and conducted search and seizure operations in three states on Monday, in the latest round of a sweeping corruption probe around state-run oil firm Petroleo Brasileiro SA. Police said contractors paid at least 39 million reais (US$ 12m) in bribes to executives of Petrobras, and rigged public auctions at Petrobras’ research centre Cenpes.

• Tuesday, July 5th 2016 - 06:54 UTC

  Macri begins official visit to Germany looking for trade and investment

  

  Argentine president Mauricio Macri arrived in Berlin on Monday, in his first official trip to the country and as part of an European tour aimed at strengthening Argentina’s ties with the European Union. Macri arrived from Brussels where he met EU authorities and the day before, was in Paris with president Francois Hollande.

• Tuesday, July 5th 2016 - 06:34 UTC

  Macri insists in Brussels: “Brexit or not, our Malvinas claim will never change”

  

  Argentine president Mauricio Macri said on Monday that his country's claim to the Falkland Islands remained unchanged following Britain's vote to leave the EU. “Brexit or not, our claim will never change,” Macri told reporters in Brussels after talks with European Union leaders.

• Monday, July 4th 2016 - 10:18 UTC

  Brazilian unemployment reached a record 11.2% in the March/May quarter

  

  Brazil's jobless rate remained stuck at a record 11.2% at the end of May, the government statistics office reported. The rate for March through May was unchanged from the previous quarter, with 11.4 million people officially out of work, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) said. A year ago, the jobless rate was 8.1%.

• Monday, July 4th 2016 - 10:05 UTC

  Czech president referendum proposal on EU and NATO, rattles Brussels

  

  The Czech government has no intention of holding any referendum on European Union or NATO membership, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka's office said in a statement, a week after Britain's surprise vote to leave the bloc.