Politics

• Thursday, October 3rd 2013 - 06:48 UTC

  US and Venezuela in reciprocating game of expelling diplomats

  

  The United States has expelled Venezuela's top diplomat and two others, after Venezuela kicked out three U.S. diplomats it accused of plotting sabotage. The Caracas government criticized the US response, saying the Venezuelan diplomats had not been meeting with groups opposed to US President Barack Obama.

• Thursday, October 3rd 2013 - 06:39 UTC

  Berlusconi U turn saves Italian coalition but could mark the beginning of his demise

  

  Silvio Berlusconi backed away from his threat to topple Italy’s coalition government in a humiliating political climb down on Wednesday that could fatally weaken his 20-year grip on Italian politics. The billionaire former prime minister was forced into the last minute U-turn by a revolt that threatened to shatter his conservative party.

• Thursday, October 3rd 2013 - 06:35 UTC

  ‘Exasperated’ Obama warns Wall Street that Republicans could force the US to default on its debt

  

  US President Barack Obama has warned that Wall Street should be concerned that a conservative faction of Republicans is willing to allow the country to default on its debt. The US government has partially closed after Congress failed to agree a budget and will run out of cash on 17 October unless its debt ceiling is raised.

• Thursday, October 3rd 2013 - 06:31 UTC

  Colombia, Chile and Peru move to integrate foreign exchange markets

  

  Colombia, Peru and Chile announced on Wednesday the integration of their foreign exchange markets in the framework of MILA to facilitate money exchange operations between the three associates which add to a daily average turnover of 2,798bn. So far the Latinamerican Integrated Market, MILA, is operating with a combined stock market for the three nations.

• Wednesday, October 2nd 2013 - 16:47 UTC

  Minister Swire opens the British embassy in Asuncion after a break of eight years

  

  Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire formally opened on Wednesday the British Embassy in Asuncion, Paraguay which will be headed by Ambassador Jeremy Hobbs. Accompanied by Paraguayan Foreign Minister Eladio Loizaga, he hailed the opening a symbol of the UK’s continued engagement in Latin America.

• Wednesday, October 2nd 2013 - 15:46 UTC

  Vatican bank opens its accounts for the first time, and there are surprises

  

  In a bid for transparency and reform, the Vatican bank openly published a financial report for the first time on Tuesday. But the report came amid new accounts of vague withdrawals and deposits made to and by the organization.

• Wednesday, October 2nd 2013 - 10:04 UTC

  Francis calls for transparency and says too many popes had been ‘narcissists’

  

  Pope Francis began landmark meetings this week to reform the Vatican, promising to do all he could to change the mentality of an institution he said was too focused on its own interests. Francis and eight cardinals from around the world are holding three days of closed-door meetings to discuss the Vatican's troubled administration and to map out possible changes in the worldwide Church.

• Wednesday, October 2nd 2013 - 08:22 UTC

  Rousseff reminds Cartes that Paraguay belongs to Mercosur and is strategic for Brazil

  

  Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff received her peer from Paraguay, Horacio Cartes with full head of state honours but at the same time reminded him that Paraguay is a full member of Mercosur and “bilateral relations are in the context of multilateral relations with all countries of the hemisphere”.

• Wednesday, October 2nd 2013 - 08:20 UTC

  Irreconcilable positions forecast US government shutdown could turn really serious

  

  The partial shutdown of the US government showed no signs of ending quickly, as lawmakers stiffened their positions and sought to shift blame to the other side.

• Wednesday, October 2nd 2013 - 08:16 UTC

  Argentina asks Washington to include AMIA bombing case in US/Iran agenda

  

  Argentine President Cristina Fernández has instructed Ambassador Cecilia Nahón in Washington to formally ask the White House and the State Department to include the AMIA case in their meeting agenda with Iran.