Politics

• Friday, May 2nd 2014 - 09:03 UTC

  Brazil confirms Mercosur/EU are ready to exchange proposals in a month's time

  

  Brazil confirmed this week that for the end of May or early June, Mercosur will be presenting its joint tariff-reduction proposal to the European Union for the conclusion of an ambitious, but long delayed, cooperation and trade agreement.

• Friday, May 2nd 2014 - 08:37 UTC

  Labor Day with raft of increases in Argentina: train fares, gasoline, cigarettes and air tickets

  

  Despite Labor Day to honor workers, May begins with bad news for Argentine consumers: fare increases for trains and domestic flights tickets and rises on cigarettes and gasoline prices ranging from 4% to 100% in the case of train tariffs.

• Friday, May 2nd 2014 - 08:28 UTC

  Majority of Uruguayans rate Argentina as 'the less friendly country', says poll

  

  A clear majority of Uruguayans, 61% believe Argentina is the “less friendly” country, according to a March 13/23 public opinion poll, with 1.013 interviews in Montevideo and the main urban locations in the rest of the country.

• Thursday, May 1st 2014 - 10:10 UTC

  Amnesty International accuses Spain of repressive legislation and heavy hand with protestors

  

  The Spanish government is using the full force of the law to suffocate legitimate peaceful protest, Amnesty International in Spain has said. Jezerca Tigani, Europe and Central Asia Deputy Program Director for Amnesty, published a brief report last week in which he said that the excessive use of force by Spanish police and plans to strengthen repressive legislation are a damning indictment of the Spanish government’s determination to crush peaceful protest.

• Thursday, May 1st 2014 - 07:43 UTC

  OAS electoral observers arrive in Panama ahead of Sunday's ballot

  

  The OAS Electoral Observation Mission has arrived in Panama, led by former Peruvian Congresswoman and presidential candidate Lourdes Flores Nano, for the final deployment of the 56 international experts and observers ahead of Sunday's general elections.

• Thursday, May 1st 2014 - 07:22 UTC

  Brazil: Protestors demanding housing block main access routes and camp outside City Council

  

  A demonstration supporting access to low-cost housing on Wednesday blocked several stretches of the Marginal Tiete, one of the main access routes to Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city and financial capital.

• Thursday, May 1st 2014 - 07:08 UTC

  Rousseff bids for re-election and announces benefits for her electoral base

  

  President Dilma Rousseff said on Wednesday she will seek re-election in October, even though some are calling for the return of her popular predecessor president Lula da Silva. Rousseff, who belongs to Lula's Workers Party and was his protegée, said she hoped to have the support of all the parties allied with her government.

• Thursday, May 1st 2014 - 06:58 UTC

  Fed optimistic about US economy; pares securities purchases by another 10bn dollars

  

  The Federal Reserve looked past a dismal reading on first quarter US growth and gave a mostly upbeat assessment of the economy's prospects as it announced another cut in its massive bond-buying stimulus. Latest information indicates that economic activity has picked up after having slowed sharply during the winter in part because of adverse weather conditions, the central bank said on Wednesday.

• Thursday, May 1st 2014 - 06:45 UTC

  Malvinas issue should be addressed at UN General Assembly suggest Argentine lawmakers

  

  Members from the opposition addressed a letter to President Cristina Fernandez recommending that in the coming UN General Assembly Argentina presents a resolution-draft calling for the Falklands/Malvinas Islands sovereignty claim to be discussed in the assembly and not at the Decolonization Committee or C24.

• Thursday, May 1st 2014 - 05:43 UTC

  Falklands' new governor mystified by Argentine logic and 'welcomes illumination'

  

  Asked at a press conference on Wednesday why the Argentine Government had appeared to be against his appointment to the Falkland Islands, while also attempting to vilify him as someone who had previously opposed the right to self-determination of the inhabitants of another small island community, the newly-arrived governor, Mr Colin Roberts CVO, said that he was mystified by the logic and “would welcome illumination”.