Politics

• Wednesday, October 15th 2014 - 10:24 UTC

  Open debate in the Vatican: conservative bishops disagree with “gay approach”

  

  Conservative Roman Catholic prelates have vowed to change a controversial Vatican document that held out the possibility of a major shift in the Church's attitude towards homosexuals.

• Wednesday, October 15th 2014 - 08:53 UTC

  Chile convinced of the Mercosur/Pacific Alliance 'convergence' led by Brazil

  

  Chile is confident that in coming months there will be 'significant' advances in a convergence of the Pacific Alliance and Mercosur, said Andres Rebolledo, Chile's Deputy Trade minister during a visit to Brazil.

• Wednesday, October 15th 2014 - 08:28 UTC

  Germany insists with a 2015 balanced budget despite slower growth forecast

  

  German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday rejected calls for Berlin to ditch its plans for a balanced budget next year and to instead invest more in order to shore up the faltering German and Euro zone economies. On Tuesday Germany slashed its 2014 growth forecast from 1.8% to 1.2%.

• Wednesday, October 15th 2014 - 07:54 UTC

  Mujica running for a Senate seat, since he anticipates a weak government

  

  Uruguay president Jose Mujica believes that the next parliament to emerge from the 26 October general election will have a difficult conformation, complicating the government's performance and that is the reason why he accepted to run for a Senate seat.

• Wednesday, October 15th 2014 - 07:38 UTC

  “Chile Day” in London underlines the very close links with the UK

  

  Chilean authorities and business people opened the London Stock Exchange on Tuesday as part of the “Chile Day 2014” which is the country's foremost promotion event abroad for the financial and business sectors. UK Foreign Office Minister of State for Latin America Hugo Swire underlined that Chile in “a key partner in the region”.

• Tuesday, October 14th 2014 - 16:43 UTC

  IMF urges economic reforms or face brittle growth, high debt and unemployment

  

  The world's policymakers must take economic reforms more seriously, or they could see their economies stuck in a muddle of mediocre growth with high debt and unemployment, the head of the International Monetary Fund said at the multilateral organization assembly.

• Tuesday, October 14th 2014 - 16:25 UTC

  Madrid's attitude towards Gibraltar could thwart Spain's seat at Security Council

  

  Spain’s separate battles to both become a temporary member of the United Nations Security Council and to also force Britain into bilateral negotiations over Gibraltar appear to be on a collision course, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

• Tuesday, October 14th 2014 - 06:54 UTC

  Morales pledges orthodox economic policies and respect for private property

  

  Bolivian President Evo Morales, who easily won a third term in a weekend election, has said he will stick to his brand of pragmatic socialism, respecting private property while expanding the state's role in the economy.

• Tuesday, October 14th 2014 - 06:48 UTC

  OAS praise for Bolivia's commitment to democracy and Sunday's elections

  

  The OAS (Organization of American States) Electoral Observation Mission in Bolivia, headed by former Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom, commends Bolivian citizenry for the high level of peaceful participation on Sunday's national elections and underlines the country’s democratic commitment.

• Tuesday, October 14th 2014 - 06:38 UTC

  Mapuches and other indigenous groups fight police on Columbus Day

  

  Chilean police fired tear gas and water cannon on Sunday to break up thousands of indigenous protesters demanding land rights and condemning Columbus Day, after masked demonstrators began throwing stones.