Politics

• Thursday, February 27th 2014 - 03:08 UTC

  Argentine social programs praised by FAO and World Bank, says government

  

  Argentina praised some of the “positive and favorable comments” by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Bank regarding the country’s social and economic agenda, regretting that “certain” media “downplay” such news.

• Thursday, February 27th 2014 - 00:31 UTC

  IMF lets fresh air in and addresses income inequality and redistribution debate

  

  Income inequality can lead to slower or less sustainable economic growth, while redistribution of income, when measured, does not hurt and can even help an economy, IMF staff found in a research study released on Wednesday. Although the study by IMF economists does not reflect the Fund's official position, it is another sign of a shift in its thinking about income disparity.

• Wednesday, February 26th 2014 - 23:13 UTC

  OAS Permanente Council special meeting on Venezuelan situation suspended

  

  The meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS), Permanent Council convened to evaluate the possibility of holding a meeting of ambassadors to address the current political situation in Venezuela, has been postponed after pressure from the Venezuelan Government, said Carlos Ponce, coordinator for the Latin American and Caribbean Network for Democracy (Redlad).

• Wednesday, February 26th 2014 - 23:04 UTC

  Falklands/Malvinas: Argentina has “no conflict hypothesis” says Defense head

  

  Minister of Defense Agustín Rossi said Argentina has no “conflict hypothesis” regarding the Falklands/Malvinas Islands, strongly denying statements from a British newspaper which argued the UK was closely monitoring Argentina's investment in military procurement.

• Wednesday, February 26th 2014 - 20:33 UTC

  Brazil farmers want a Mercosur/EU trade agreement even leaving Argentina out

  

  Brazil would like free-trade talks between the European Union and Mercosur to include Argentina, but would be prepared to proceed without its regional ally if an understanding can't be reached on March 7, according to the head of Brazil's farming confederation.

• Wednesday, February 26th 2014 - 07:16 UTC

  “Argentine Antarctica Day” celebrations with special mention of South Georgia

  

  Argentina celebrated on Tuesday 25 February, the “Argentine Antarctica Day”, which recalls the 110 years of uninterrupted presence of the country in Antarctica and included among the many activities displayed the scientific research cruise of May 2013 in waters adjoining the South Georgia islands.

• Wednesday, February 26th 2014 - 07:10 UTC

  Paraguay will chair Mercosur in the next six months, says Dilma Rousseff

  

  Paraguay will hold the following rotating chair of Mercosur, (if the group's summit to be hosted by Venezuela and which has been delayed on several occasions really takes place). The announcement was made by Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff during her visit on Monday to Brussels for the Brazil/EU summit, who underlined that Brazil supports dialogue as the way out to the current situation in Venezuela.

• Wednesday, February 26th 2014 - 06:58 UTC

  Gibraltar announces discount on passenger dues to attract more cruise vessels

  

  In a bid to attract more cruise ships to Gibraltar, the Minister for the Port, Neil Costa, has announced changes to the Port Rules, which regulate the amount of discount on passenger dues. The amendment allows ‘repositioning’ calls from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean or vice-versa to benefit from a 100% markdown on passenger dues.

• Wednesday, February 26th 2014 - 06:50 UTC

  How much does the taxman take, according to PWC and OECD?

  

  Tax rates do vary dramatically depending on which country you live in. The accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) has crunched the numbers for the G20 nations. For each country, they calculated how much a high earner on a salary of $400,000 (£240,000) in 2013, with a mortgage of $1.2m (£750,000), would have left after all income tax rates and social security contributions.

• Tuesday, February 25th 2014 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazilian Federal police on two-day strike for better wages and working conditions

  

  Brazil's federal police started on Tuesday a two-day work stoppage to demand better wages and improved security for the World Cup.