Politics

• Friday, April 11th 2014 - 08:24 UTC

  National strike paralyzes Argentina; government blasts roadblocks

  

  Argentine organized labor leader Hugo Moyano called on the government of president Cristina Fernandez to take note of Thursday's strong mobilization across the country after unions affiliated to the Teamsters figure and gastronomic heavyweight Luis Barrionuevo caused widespread disruption.

• Friday, April 11th 2014 - 04:45 UTC

  Argentina and Chile prepare to celebrate 1984 peace and friendship treaty

  

  Argentina and Chile defense ministers Agustín Rossi and Jorge Burgos Varela met in Buenos Aires 'to continue advancing and deepening' the bilateral relation, which this year will have a special celebration motive: the 30th anniversary of the Peace and Friendship treaty which definitively put an end to the Beagle Channel longstanding dispute.

• Friday, April 11th 2014 - 04:38 UTC

  Hedge funds target laundered funds in Nevada by close associate of the Kirchner family

  

  The American Task Force Argentina (ATFA), an organization which unites several bond holders from the Argentine default of 2001, questioned on Thursday the “lack of transparency” within President Cristina Fernández administration, during a video conference with reporters.

• Thursday, April 10th 2014 - 06:28 UTC

  Brazil's March inflation marks the steepest increase for the month since 2003

  

  Brazil’s rate of inflation in March picked up at the quickest pace in 11 years for that month, challenging the central bank’s plan to stop raising interest rates soon and complicating President Dilma Rousseff chances of re-election.

• Thursday, April 10th 2014 - 06:22 UTC

  Venezuela invites Cardinal Parolin to become “mediator of good will”

  

  The Venezuelan government formally invited today the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to join the exploratory talks with the opposition as “mediator of good will” in order to find a solution to the violent situation in the country.

• Thursday, April 10th 2014 - 06:17 UTC

  Argentine top minister in Washington attending the 'ideologically bias” IMF assembly

  

  In a strong reply to the IMF report on the Argentine economy forecasting 0.5% expansion in 2014, the administration of President Cristina Fernandez said the multilateral organization suffers of an 'ideological bias' and its recipes only prompted the 'worst social and productive crisis in the history of Argentina'.

• Thursday, April 10th 2014 - 06:07 UTC

  Gibraltar after closer political and cooperation links with Malta

  

  Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo met with top officials from Malta this week during a two day visit focused on building links with the island state. The officials included Foreign affairs minister George Vella, Speaker of the Maltese Parliament Angelu Farrugia and Financial Services and Gaming Minister Albert Isola.

• Thursday, April 10th 2014 - 06:02 UTC

  Mas defies Madrid: Catalonia will go ahead with the independence referendum

  

  Catalonia President Artur Mas said he would forge ahead with his region's plans to hold a referendum on independence in November after Spain's parliament overwhelmingly rejected the petition. After a seven-hour debate in Madrid, and despite heavy support for the separatist movement in the wealthy northeastern region, 299 lawmakers voted against, 47 voted for and one abstained.

• Thursday, April 10th 2014 - 05:56 UTC

  Argentine unions anticipate massive support and turnout for Thursday's national strike

  

  Argentina will witness on Thursday a new test of political clout and influence between the administration of Argentine president Cristina Fernandez and dissident organized labor, headed by teamster Hugo Moyano who has called for a national strike, anticipating it will have “a resounding massive support and turnout from the Argentine people”.

• Thursday, April 10th 2014 - 05:46 UTC

  Pope Francis joins the lynching outbreak debate in Argentina

  

  In a letter addressed to two Argentine humanists living in Sweden, Pope Francis deeply regretted the murder of an 18-year-old who was beat to death by a group of Rosario citizens after he had allegedly stolen a woman’s purse. “The worst that can happen to us is to forget about that scene,” the pontiff said.