Politics

• Wednesday, September 23rd 2015 - 08:43 UTC

  Tsipras takes office with a daunting agenda; 45% abstained on Sunday

  

  Alexis Tsipras took the oath of office for a second term as Greek prime minister, promising to revive the crippled economy while demanding debt relief from creditors as his “first big battle” following an unexpectedly clear election victory.

• Wednesday, September 23rd 2015 - 07:31 UTC

  Obama and Biden greet Francis as he begins six-day visit; he will address US congress

  

  Pope Francis on Tuesday afternoon touched down at Joint Base Andrews to begin a historic six-day, three-city visit that will have political, diplomatic and spiritual ramifications. Breaking from the usual protocol for a state visit, President Obama and Vice President Biden chose to greet the papal plane before Francis departed in a hatchback Fiat to begin his tightly scheduled, carefully choreographed and highly anticipated visit.

• Wednesday, September 23rd 2015 - 07:17 UTC

  Uruguay pumps greenbacks to keep the US dollar rate on sliding stability

  

  Uruguay's central bank was forced to sell almost 65 million dollars on Tuesday, the highest volume so far this year, to keep the US dollar from ballooning as fears of the collapse of the Brazilian economy are felt through the region. The dollar finally ended trading with a slight 0.12% increase at 28,826 Pesos to the greenback.

• Wednesday, September 23rd 2015 - 06:55 UTC

  'Cristina Fernandez 2019' and a Scioli 'constructive transition' burst into the presidential campaign

  

  Estela de Carlotto, the president of Argentina's Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo human rights organization, considered Daniel Scioli a “faithful and different man” whose triumph in the October presidential elections could pave the way for a “constructive transition” toward the “return of Cristina” Fernández to power in four years time.

• Tuesday, September 22nd 2015 - 14:38 UTC

  Trinidad approves extradition proceedings for Concacaf ex chief, Jack Warner

  

  The extradition proceedings against Jack Warner, a former vice-president of football's world governing body FIFA, are to go ahead after being approved by Trinidad's attorney general. Untied States wants to try Mr. Warner, 72, a Trinidadian national, on corruption charges. He is accused of accepting millions of dollars in bribes.

• Tuesday, September 22nd 2015 - 10:14 UTC

  With mediation of Uruguay and Ecuador border Colombia / Venezuela reopens

  

  Colombia and Venezuela have agreed to restore diplomatic dialogue and oversee “progressive normalization” of their border, after a meeting between Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and his counterpart Nicolas Maduro.

• Tuesday, September 22nd 2015 - 08:07 UTC

  Pope will celebrate last mass in Cuba on Tuesday before flying to the US

  

  Pope Francis has celebrated mass in front of thousands of people in the eastern Cuban city of Holguin. During his homily, he paid tribute to the “efforts” and “sacrifices” the Roman Catholic Church has made in Cuba.

• Tuesday, September 22nd 2015 - 07:53 UTC

  Former treasurer of Brazil's ruling party sentenced to 15 years in prison over Petrobras corruption

  

  The former treasurer of Brazil's ruling party was sentenced Monday to more than 15 years in prison for his role in a massive corruption scandal at state oil giant Petrobras. The judge investigating the scandal found Joao Vaccari, who was the Workers Party treasurer until April, guilty of “corruption, money-laundering and conspiracy,” and sentenced him to 15 years and four months.

• Tuesday, September 22nd 2015 - 07:40 UTC

  Brazil/Israel spat over ambassador candidate, spearhead of settlements in the West Bank

  

  Israeli Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Hotovely defended the appointment of former settlements' department director, Dani Dayan, as the Jewish state's ambassador in Brazil, after it was rejected by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.

• Tuesday, September 22nd 2015 - 07:15 UTC

  Which lawmakers from the Pacific Alliance are paid the most?

  

  Of all four Pacific Alliance countries, Colombia spends most on its congressional representatives, despite the South American country’s low wages. According to a report published on Monday by economic newspaper La Republica, the state pays Colombia’s congressmen a total of nearly $2.1 million per month in salaries, almost double the total of Chile, whose congressmen have the highest individual salaries, but in total cost the state $1.2 million per month.