Politics

• Friday, September 11th 2015 - 10:24 UTC

  Murdoch's Fox takes control of National Geographic Society for US$ 725m

  

  The National Geographic Society sold its iconic yellow-bordered magazine and other media assets to Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox for $725 million, the companies announced Wednesday. National Geographic Society, which found the magazine in 1888, has chosen to sell the publication amid slumping circulation and advertising sales.

• Friday, September 11th 2015 - 10:14 UTC

  Ecuador's Correa orders dissolution of freedom of expression organization

  

  Fundamedios, an Ecuadorian organization that defends freedom of expression, is now the one in need of defense, as it faces state-mandated closure. On Tuesday, September 8, its directors reported that they had received a letter from the National Communications Secretariat (Secom), which informed them of the beginning “of the dissolution process” against the institution.

• Friday, September 11th 2015 - 09:41 UTC

  Brazilian Real falls to its lowest against the dollar since 2002; central bank injected funds

  

  A day after Standard & Poor’s slashed Brazil’s credit rating to junk, the Brazilian Real lost close to 2% by the end of the day to 3.865 per dollar—its weakest level since 2002. In an effort to stem the decline, Brazil’s central bank injected $1.5 billion into the financial system Thursday.

• Friday, September 11th 2015 - 09:33 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez wants Argentina in BRICS and asks Lula da Silva to act as the lobbyist

  

  President Cristina Fernández called on Brazil’s former president Lula da Silva to become Argentina’s “ambassador” to help it join the group of emerging countries known as BRICS, acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Lula is currently campaigning in support of incumbent presidential candidate Daniel Scioli, and the so called 'Kirchner' model that 'transformed Argentina'.

• Friday, September 11th 2015 - 06:45 UTC

  UN Assembly overwhelmingly supports Argentina in the sovereign debt debate

  

  The United Nations General Assembly has approved a resolution put forward by Argentina regarding sovereign debt restructuring, which seeks to limit the movement of speculative funds in influencing such actions.

• Friday, September 11th 2015 - 06:34 UTC

  Commotion in Argentina over the death of an indigenous Qom child

  

  The death of a young boy from the Qom indigenous community in the Argentine province of Chaco, one of the poorest areas of the country, caused public opinion commotion and triggered a debate as to the cause of his death and the miserable living conditions of the indigenous peoples in Argentina.

• Friday, September 11th 2015 - 06:23 UTC

  Malvinas war declassified documents delivered to Argentine veterans

  

  Argentina's Defense minister Austin Rossi handed Malvinas veterans a report on the 1982 South Atlantic conflict compiled from recently declassified military documents. The report handed to Ernesto Alonso, head of the Malvinas former combatants national committee was drafted by the ministry's Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law desks.

• Friday, September 11th 2015 - 06:03 UTC

  Venezuelan opposition leader sentenced to 13 years in prison; Unasur statement expected Friday

  

  Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez was convicted inciting violence and sentenced to 13 years in prison on Thursday for his leading role in the 2014 street protests against the government of President Nicolas Maduro that spiralled into bloodshed, killing more than 40 people. A statement from Unasur (Union of South American Nations) is expected on Friday.

• Thursday, September 10th 2015 - 08:50 UTC

  Business lobbies feeling the pinch, impatient with Rousseff's budget cuts

  

  After months of trying to shore up Brazil's public finances, President Dilma Rousseff now faces political and business pressure to ease up on painful austerity measures in a country long hooked on the helping hand of a big state.

• Thursday, September 10th 2015 - 08:33 UTC

  Lula da Silva campaigns for Scioli and is full of praise for Cristina Fernandez and the 'K' model

  

  Brazil's popular but scandal-weary former leader Lula da Silva endorsed Argentina's ruling party presidential candidate on Wednesday, identifying Daniel Scioli's credentials with the political left, and hoping the current project “that began in 2003 is re-elected”. The former president was also full of praise for president Cristina Fernandez.