Politics

• Saturday, July 18th 2015 - 09:29 UTC

  Mercosur agrees to give intra-trade a new boost eliminating barriers

  

  Mercosur agreed at the Brasilia summit that in the second half of the year they will address alternatives for the elimination of tariff and other similar barriers that impede the natural flow of trade of goods and services among its members. The initiative was agreed by Common Market Council, CMC, on the first day of deliberations and confirmed on Friday by the presidents of the group's full members.

• Saturday, July 18th 2015 - 09:15 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez hails Mercosur success in integration and in promoting a political block

  

  In what can be considered her last speech before a Mercosur summit, Argentine president Cristina Fernandez, who is stepping down next December, hailed what she called the “magnitude of the importance of integration” in South America with the inclusion of both Venezuela and Bolivia showing the “success and the resounding failure for those who forecasted for years that the Mercosur was going to fail.”

• Saturday, July 18th 2015 - 09:04 UTC

  Buenos Aires City runoff expected to confirm Rodriguez Larreta as next government chief

  

  The incumbent candidate for government chief of Buenos Aires City, Horacio Rodriguez Larreta, was at least fifteen points ahead of his challenger in Sunday's runoff, according to the latest public opinion polls before the 48 hours ban on all campaigning.

• Saturday, July 18th 2015 - 08:48 UTC

  Judge removal from Cristina Fernandez case triggers more suspicions

  

  “If they say I committed suicide, look for the murderer. It's not my style, investigate”, said ironically Argentine judge Claudio Bonadio when he was asked how he felt after having been removed from the case looking into alleged money laundering and tax elusion in one of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner family businesses in the hotel industry, Hotesur.

• Saturday, July 18th 2015 - 08:29 UTC

  Jewish Congress criticizes “lack of progress” in investigation of 1994 AMIA bombing

  

  World Jewish Congress (WJC) CEO Robert Singer criticized on Friday “a lack of progress” in the investigation of the 1994 AMIA bombing, during the twenty first commemorations of the attack on the local Jewish community headquarters in downtown Buenos Aires.

• Saturday, July 18th 2015 - 08:10 UTC

  Rousseff, ever so weakened and isolated warns of “anti democratic adventures”

  

  Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff told regional peers on Friday there is no room for “anti-democratic adventures” in South America, a day after the speaker of Brazil's lower house said he was weighing legal arguments for her impeachment. Speaking to the heads of state of Mercosur, Rousseff said political leaders should strive for dialogue to resolve ideological differences.

• Saturday, July 18th 2015 - 07:46 UTC

  UK ambassador in Argentina and Chubut governor workout Welsh immigration celebrations

  

  UK ambassador in Buenos Aires John Freeman met with Chubut province governor Martin Buzzi in Rawson to work out the agenda of activities scheduled for the end of the month when Wales First Minister Carwyn Jones is expected to arrive for the 150th anniversary celebration of Welsh immigration to Argentina, reports the local media, Diario Jornada.

• Friday, July 17th 2015 - 07:44 UTC

  The man who silenced Maracana in 1950 passes away with full honors

  

  “Only three people silenced Maracana: the Pope, Frank Sinatra and me”. The comment belongs to Alcides Ghiggia, Uruguay's last member and striker of the team that beat Brazil in the World Football Cup final of 1950 and thus winning the Jules Rimet Cup. It would be Uruguay's second world cup: the first in 1930 when it beat Argentina.

• Friday, July 17th 2015 - 07:14 UTC

  Uruguay after a Mercosur 'action plan' to eliminate all inter-trade restrictions

  

  Uruguay is attending the Mercosur summit in Brazil hoping the group implements deep changes, particularly referred to the free circulation of goods, services and production factors, and considers a six month period should be sufficient trial for the changes to become effective.

• Friday, July 17th 2015 - 06:57 UTC

  Comparing FIFA to the mafia “is almost insulting to the mafia”. US Senate grills soccer federation

  

  Comparing FIFA to the mafia is “almost insulting to the mafia”, a US senator said, turning up the heat on football's corruption-tainted world governing body to reform. Richard Blumenthal made the remark at a Senate subcommittee hearing scrutinizing FIFA, after US authorities in May indicted 14 people - including top football officials over tens of millions of dollars of alleged bribes for media rights contracts.