Politics

• Wednesday, August 6th 2014 - 00:12 UTC

  Paraguay sells 1 billion dollars in 30-year sovereign bonds

  

  Paraguay sold 1bn (one billion) dollars in 30-year bonds on Monday in New York, its second international debt issue in less than two years. President Horacio Cartes said in a statement that the issue's 6.1% yield is unprecedented for the country, and that the proceeds will be used for highway, building and energy infrastructure, as well as agricultural production.

• Wednesday, August 6th 2014 - 00:04 UTC

  UK only Muslim minister resigns protesting 'morally indefensible' policy in Gaza

  

  Sayeeda Warsi, a senior minister in Britain's Foreign Office, resigned on Tuesday, accusing Prime Minister David Cameron's government of taking a “morally indefensible” approach to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

• Tuesday, August 5th 2014 - 07:14 UTC

  Argentina planning to question Judge Griesa before the International Court of Justice

  

  Argentina's Legal and Technical Secretary to the Presidency Carlos Zannini is overseeing a group of experts in international law as they draft the suit the government of President Cristina Fernandez will file against US Judge Thomas Griesa’s ruling on full repayment to holdout bondholders at International Court of Justice in the Hague, according to Noticias Argentinas-

• Tuesday, August 5th 2014 - 07:10 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez pledges “to adopt the most suitable measures for Argentina”

  

  Argentine President Cristina Fernandez said on Monday that she would only take decisions that benefitted the overall health and stability of the Argentine state, as she called on the country to defend the achievements of the last 10 years.

• Tuesday, August 5th 2014 - 07:03 UTC

  Iran officials admit supplying missile technology to Hamas to wipe out Israel

  

  Two senior Iranian officials told an Arabic-language television channel on Monday that Tehran has supplied missile technology to Hamas for its fight against Israel. Revolutionary Guard commander Mohammad Ali Jafari warned in an interview with the Arabic channel of Iran's state Al-Alam television that Palestinian resistance to Israeli aggression is “endless and growing.”

• Tuesday, August 5th 2014 - 06:54 UTC

  Griesa praises Pollack's 'great skill” and reveals he directed the use of 'default'

  

  U.S. District Judge Thomas Griesa on Monday turned back an effort by Argentina's government to remove the court-appointed mediator in the dispute with creditors that triggered a 'selective default' situation by the country last week. He also revealed that the default condition was at his direction and was 'accurate'.

• Tuesday, August 5th 2014 - 06:50 UTC

  Barcena anticipates that Argentina will probably have negative growth in 2014

  

  Argentina's economy probably will contract in 2014, the head of the United Nation's body for Latin America and the Caribbean, ECLAC said on Monday, as fallout from a new sovereign debt crisis will keep the country out of money markets.

• Tuesday, August 5th 2014 - 06:30 UTC

  “Lights out” event marked 100 years ceremonies since Britain entered World War One

  

  A candle-lit vigil at Westminster Abbey and a “lights out” event have concluded a day of ceremonies marking 100 years since Britain entered World War One. People were invited to turn off their lights for an hour until 23:00 BST, the time war was declared on 4 August 1914.

• Monday, August 4th 2014 - 07:41 UTC

  Trying to gauge the impact of Argentina's situation in Mercosur partners

  

  Argentina’s debt problems threatens to worsen trade tensions in Mercosur, adding to the economic woes of Brazil in a tense election year and causing headaches in Uruguay as the Argentine economy looks likely to plunge deeper into recession.

• Monday, August 4th 2014 - 07:34 UTC

  Debt ruling shows a callous disregard to the effects on Argentina

  

  By Eileen Appelbaum (The New York Times) - There is no way to construe as fair the United States court ruling that Argentina cannot pay 93% of its creditors, unless it first pays a small group of hedge funds. It's not fair to the 93% of bondholders who negotiated a restructuring of Argentina’s debt in 2005 and 2010 with reduced payments.