Politics

• Monday, February 11th 2013 - 21:13 UTC

  Everybody fears Berlusconi, who keeps climbing in the polls for Italian elections

  

  Prime Minister Mario Monti accused his media magnate rival Silvio Berlusconi of trying to buy votes with impossible promises as Italy's election campaign entered its last phase. With February 24-25 vote two weeks away, polls suggest the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) will win a solid lower house majority but may need a deal with Monti's centrists to gain the control of the Senate it must have to govern.

• Monday, February 11th 2013 - 16:13 UTC

  Next Pope could be Latinamerican, admit senior Vatican officials

  

  With Pope Benedict's stunning announcement that he will resign end of the month, the time may be coming for the Roman Catholic Church to elect its first non-European leader and it could be a Latin American. The region already represents 42% of the world's 1.2 billion-strong Catholic population, the largest single block in the Church, compared to 25% in its European heartland and is has several outstanding candidates, according to Church sources.

• Monday, February 11th 2013 - 04:52 UTC

  Argentina/Iran accord increases crossfire between government and Jewish community

  

  A new crossfire has emerged between the Argentine President Cristina Fernandez and the Jewish community over the agreement reached by the Argentine government with Iran to investigate the 1994 bombing of a Jewish institution in Buenos Aires which left 85 dead and hundreds injured, and remains unresolved.

• Monday, February 11th 2013 - 04:49 UTC

  PM Cameron to Scotland: “we’re better off together and poorer apart”

  

  British Prime Minister David Cameron conceded that Scotland had what it takes to be an independent nation, but said it currently enjoyed “the best of both worlds”, imploring it not to break the United Kingdom apart.

• Monday, February 11th 2013 - 04:47 UTC

  “Pseudo referendum” is provocative and offensive says Malvinas Forum, Uruguay

  

  The Malvinas Forum, Uruguay chapter released a declaration strongly criticizing lawmakers and institutions that have announced they are planning to travel to the Falklands’ for the March10/11 referendum.

• Monday, February 11th 2013 - 04:18 UTC

  UK expects Uruguay to respect the Falklands’ referendum, which is a three sided event

  

  British ambassador in Uruguay Ben Lyster-Binns said the coming referendum in the Falkland Islands involves the people of the Islands, United Kingdom and Argentina and expects the Uruguayan government to respect the referendum even when Foreign Minister Luis Almagro anticipated that the country will not recognize the results of the ballot.

• Monday, February 11th 2013 - 02:45 UTC

  Uruguay has interests in Falklands, beyond the UK/Argentina territorial dispute

  

  Uruguayan opposition lawmakers, as from the rest of the continent will be travelling to the Falklands as observers of the referendum scheduled for next March 10/11 “to see the legitimacy of the process and results” but also because Uruguay has interests that go beyond the territorial dispute between Argentina and the UK.

• Monday, February 11th 2013 - 01:00 UTC

  Hague accuses Argentina of “bullying and intimidatory behavior” towards the Falklands

  

  Foreign Secretary William Hague has accused Argentina of “bullying and intimidatory behaviour” towards the Falkland Islands. Mr Hague in a Sunday interview with The Sun promised never to negotiate over the islands' sovereignty unless their people called for it - a referendum will take place next month.

• Monday, February 11th 2013 - 00:56 UTC

  Brazil January inflation spike triggers concern for the government and investors

  

  Brazilian inflation in January climbed to 0.86%, the highest for the month in the last ten years, according to the country’s stats office, IBGE. Inflation in December was 0.79%, ending the twelve months of last year at 5.82% which was in the target range with a ceiling of 6.5%.

• Saturday, February 9th 2013 - 09:32 UTC

  Venezuela devalues currency 32% to help cut 11% of GDP fiscal gap

  

  Venezuela devalued its currency for the fifth time in nine years as ailing President Hugo Chavez seeks to narrow a widening fiscal gap and reduce a shortage of dollars in the economy. The new exchange rate falls by 32% to 6.3 Bolivar per dollar starting Feb. 13, Finance Minister Jorge Giordani told reporters in Caracas.