Politics

• Thursday, April 25th 2013 - 02:09 UTC

  Bolivia takes Chile to the International Court of Justice to reclaim sea outlet

  

  Landlocked Bolivia sued neighboring Chile on Wednesday in the Hague before the International Court of Justice as it pressed a longstanding claim to recover land lost in a 19th century war and thus regain access to the sea.<br />
  Chile quickly responded that the issue was not negotiable.

• Wednesday, April 24th 2013 - 23:46 UTC

  Three Latam presidents pledge inclusive growth through comprehensive reforms

  

  Three Latin American presidents called for inclusive growth in the region through comprehensive reforms at the opening of the 2013 World Economic Forum on Latin America which is taking place in Lima, Peru.

• Wednesday, April 24th 2013 - 23:29 UTC

  UK launches legal challenge against the EU financial transactions tax

  

  The UK government has launched a legal challenge against plans for a European financial transactions tax (FTT), according to the BBC. The FTT will be adopted by 11 EU states, but not by the UK and Ministers fear it could be imposed on UK firms trading with businesses based in one of the 11 states.

• Wednesday, April 24th 2013 - 23:20 UTC

  China plans more carriers as it extends naval influence and anticipates conflicts in the region

  

  China unveiled plans to build more aircraft carriers after commissioning its first last year, as the country extends its influence amid territorial disputes with neighbours including Japan and Vietnam. China already has the world’s second-biggest military budget after the US.

• Wednesday, April 24th 2013 - 22:50 UTC

  US dollar soars in Argentina and is just a few cents away of 9 Pesos in the parallel market

  

  The US dollar in Argentina’s ‘blue’ or parallel market skyrocketed on Wednesday to 8.91 and 8.94 Pesos, beating the previous record of 8.75 Pesos from March 20, previous to Holy Week. The official rate meantime remained relatively stable and closed trading at 5.13 and 5.18 Pesos, which means the gap between the two markets stands at 71%.

• Wednesday, April 24th 2013 - 06:50 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez hosts Rousseff to address political and trade issues

  

  Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff will travel to Buenos Aires on Thursday for a two-day meeting with her Argentine counterpart Cristina Fernández and discuss political and trade matters between the two countries after an imports drop in Argentina last year and the cancelling by Brazil of a major investment project.

• Wednesday, April 24th 2013 - 06:47 UTC

  Venezuela’s Maduro talks to Cartes and calls for re-establishment of relations

  

  In a surprise move Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro talked on Tuesday to Paraguay’s president-elect Horacio Cartes to congratulate him on Sunday’s election and express interest in retaking the “rhythm of bilateral relations”, which were interrupted when the removal of Fernando Lugo.

• Wednesday, April 24th 2013 - 06:23 UTC

  Unasur greets president elect Cartes and congratulates the Paraguayan people

  

  The Union of South American Nations, UNASUR, congratulated the Paraguayan people for their civic commitment in last Sunday’s presidential election and greeted Horacio Cartes, who was the winner with 46% of ballots.

• Wednesday, April 24th 2013 - 06:18 UTC

  Maduro calls on Washington for dialogue, but based on ‘respect’ and ‘no threats’

  

  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro named a new acting head of its US diplomatic mission in Washington and sent an offer of dialogue after attacking the United States for “interference” in a row over his election.

• Wednesday, April 24th 2013 - 06:14 UTC

  Eight years late Cuba’s Ladies in White collect the Sakharov Prize

  

  Members of the Cuban dissident group Ladies in White collected Tuesday the Sakharov Prize that the European Parliament awarded them in 2005, and in the process had harsh words to say about the situation in their homeland.