Politics

• Thursday, January 31st 2013 - 14:06 UTC

  Two Falklands’ lawmakers fly to London to meet with Argentine Foreign minister

  

  Two elected members of the Falkland Islands’ Legislative Assembly will be travelling to London this weekend to be available to take part in any discussions regarding the Islands when Argentine Foreign minister Hector Timerman meets with Foreign Secretary William Hague, according to a release from Gilbert House, Stanley.

• Thursday, January 31st 2013 - 07:55 UTC

  Argentines love for US dollar remains unbeatable, even as it approaches 8 Pesos

  

  Argentines wishing to spend vacations overseas, edgy farmers, strong demand from business and the government’s hoarding of hard currency are pushing the US dollar to new highs in Argentina, just a few cents away from the threshold 8 Pesos to the greenback, while in the official market trading is climbing closer to 5 Pesos.

• Thursday, January 31st 2013 - 07:52 UTC

  Petrobras raises gasoline and diesel prices, but markets say it’s insufficient

  

  Brazil's state-run oil company Petrobras said in a market filing that it would increase refinery prices for gasoline and diesel by 6.6% and 5.4%, respectively, starting on January 31. However the market’s reaction was negative with the Bovespa stock exchange falling to a seven-week low.

• Thursday, January 31st 2013 - 07:47 UTC

  Argentina ‘irritated’ with Israel’s attitude towards accord with Iran to investigate 1994 bombing

  

  Argentine Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman summoned on Wednesday Israeli ambassador to Argentina Dorit Shavit, and expressed the “surprise and irritation” of President Cristina Fernandez government after learning that Tel Aviv had demanded an explanation from Argentine ambassador to Israel with regards to the recent agreement between Argentina and Iran.

• Thursday, January 31st 2013 - 07:37 UTC

  FIFA 2014 World Cup presents ambassadors and unveils the official poster

  

  The newly appointed ambassadors of the 2014 FIFA World Cup on Wednesday 30 January 2013, unveiled the tournament’s Official Poster at a media briefing in Rio de Janeiro. Four FIFA World Cup winners, Amarildo, Carlos Alberto Torres, Bebeto and Ronaldo, as well as women’s football star Marta, were invited by FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke to end the suspense and help unveil the design.

• Thursday, January 31st 2013 - 07:20 UTC

  Argentina in the process of quitting from World Bank investment disputes centre

  

  Argentina says it plans to withdraw from the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, ICSID, a World Bank body designed to arbitrate between states and foreign investors.

• Thursday, January 31st 2013 - 07:14 UTC

  Except for Uruguay, Mercosur ranks poorly in the World Press Freedom Index

  

  Argentina dropped seven positions and now ranks 54 in the 2013 World Press Freedom Index of 179 countries elaborated by Reporters Without Frontiers. Uruguay is the best ranked in South America, position 27, while other Mercosur full members standing are not very encouraging: Paraguay, 91; Brazil, 108 and Venezuela, 117.

• Thursday, January 31st 2013 - 07:10 UTC

  Brazil’s media: highly concentrated and heavily reliant on government advertising

  

  Reporters Without Borders released a report entitled “Brazil, the country of 30 Berlusconis” that examines all of the shortcomings of the country’s media landscape It is based on fact-finding visits to Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Brasilia in November 2012.

• Thursday, January 31st 2013 - 07:07 UTC

  Fed admits ‘temporary pause’ in US economy and confirms stimuli package

  

  The Federal Reserve left in place its monthly 85 billion dollars bond-buying stimulus plan, saying US economic growth had stalled but indicating the pullback was likely temporary.

• Thursday, January 31st 2013 - 07:01 UTC

  Argentine construction activity was down 3.2% in 2012, according to official stats

  

  Argentina’s construction activity registered a 3.2% drop in 2012 compared to the volume reported the previous year, according to the Indec national statistics bureau. This would be the first time in three years that the industry experienced a broad slowdown.