Politics

• Sunday, August 30th 2015 - 13:58 UTC

  Brazil in recession: worst slowdown in nearly three decades

  

  Brazil's economy shrank 1.9% in the second quarter, sinking into a recession that has hammered President Dilma Rousseff's popularity. The quarterly contraction, reported by government statistics agency IBGE on Friday, was bigger than what markets expected and confirms the worst slowdown for Brazil in nearly three decades.

• Sunday, August 30th 2015 - 13:44 UTC

  Brazil wants to revive financial transaction tax to increase revenue

  

  The Brazilian government is considering reviving a financial transaction tax known as CPMF in a bid to shore up its finances in 2016, but the initiative apparently does not have sufficient support in Congress and President Dilma Rousseff's main coalition ally, PMDB, is not willing to make the presentation.

• Saturday, August 29th 2015 - 06:33 UTC

  Falklands' MLAs confident they can 'educate' UK politicians who have swallowed the Argentine story

  

  Falkland Islands elected lawmakers believe that the election of MP Jeremy Corbyn as leader of Labor would be harmful for that party, but anyhow they are confident that as happened before, they can 'educate' detractors who argue that Britain and Argentina should negotiate over the Falklands.

• Saturday, August 29th 2015 - 06:05 UTC

  Shame on you Father Benedettini: Malvinas-dialogue poster support was real

  

  Shame and double confession for the Vatican's deputy spokesman father Ciro Benedettini: it has now clearly emerged that Pope Francis was well aware he was holding a poster calling for “Malvinas dialogue between the UK and Argentina”, and furthermore the Holy Father encouraged the man who setup the stage to continue strongly with the campaign.

• Saturday, August 29th 2015 - 05:41 UTC

  MP Rosindell: Time for Spain to back off, time for Britain to back up Gibraltar

  

  Britain cannot allow Spain to continue to ignore international law and bully Gibraltar, said MP Andrew Rosindell following the latest incursion in Gibraltar waters, this time a Spanish Customs crew that actually fired shots to a British-Gibraltarian fishing cruise.

• Saturday, August 29th 2015 - 05:36 UTC

  Brazilian Senate confirms Petrobras investigation case Prosecutor

  

  Brazil's Senate confirmed the reappointment of Prosecutor General Rodrigo Janot, who is leading a massive corruption investigation that has put dozens of politicians under scrutiny for allegedly receiving kickbacks.

• Saturday, August 29th 2015 - 05:25 UTC

  'If necessary', Lula da Silva will be in the 2018 president election

  

  Former two-term President Lula da Silva acknowledged Friday that he is weighing the possibility of seeking to return to Brazil's highest office in the 2018 elections. ”I can't say that I am or that I'm not (a candidate),” Lula said during an interview with Radio Itatiaia.

• Saturday, August 29th 2015 - 05:13 UTC

  Guatemalan president summoned to appear before Congress

  

  A congressional commission considering whether to remove Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina's immunity from prosecution called on him Friday to appear before the body as a corruption scandal swirls around his government.

• Saturday, August 29th 2015 - 04:51 UTC

  Maduro escalates conflict with Colombia as he looks to December's election

  

  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro escalated his country's conflict with Colombia Friday by expanding the partial closure of their shared border to four new frontier towns. However most political analysts believe there is a huge premeditated interest in arising strong nationalistic feelings ahead of the December legislative elections.

• Friday, August 28th 2015 - 07:22 UTC

  Brazil/EU summit next year following exchange of proposals with Mercosur

  

  Brazil and the European Union agreed to hold their annual summit during the first half of 2016, following the exchange of proposals for a wide ranging and cooperation trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur.