Politics

• Thursday, March 21st 2013 - 06:30 UTC

  Venezuela plays the ‘US interference card’ suspends dialogue with Washington

  

  The Venezuelan government said on Wednesday it has suspended a “channel of communications” with Washington as it escalates tension and polarizes public opinion ahead of elections to replace the late president Hugo Chavez.

• Thursday, March 21st 2013 - 06:21 UTC

  Argentina ratifies trade policy before WTO, which questioned inflation stats

  

  Argentina ratified its controversial trade policy during the periodic country review at the World Trade Organization, WTO, arguing Argentina has grown sustainedly since 2003, as have social indexes supported by the strong and successful re-industrialization program.

• Thursday, March 21st 2013 - 06:14 UTC

  Urgent meeting of Argentine economic team as US dollar jumps 10% to 8.75 Pesos

  

  President Cristina Fernandez called an urgent meeting on Wednesday evening of her economic team following a day of hectic trading in the currency exchange market which had the US dollar climb to 8.75 Pesos in the parallel market, expanding the gap with the official rate to almost 70%.

• Thursday, March 21st 2013 - 02:33 UTC

  Mexico and Brazil approve visa exemption for short stays

  

  The governments of Mexico and Brazil have agreed to the exemption of the short-stay visas in ordinary passports for their citizens. The move is designed to increase the flow of travellrs between the two nations.

• Thursday, March 21st 2013 - 02:28 UTC

  Cruise vessel calls increased 9.3% so far this season in Uruguay

  

  The number of cruise-vessel calls in Uruguayan ports has increased 9.3% so far in this 2012/13 season with an influx of 20 million dollars for the local economy revealed Deputy minister of Tourism Antonio Carambula during a primary evaluation of business vis-à-vis the 2011/12 results.

• Thursday, March 21st 2013 - 02:22 UTC

  South America again attracting migrants looking for jobs and residence

  

  South American countries, as in other times are again attracting migrants looking for work and a place to live, according to a report from the International Organization for Migration, IOM, which states that the US and Canada continue to lead immigrant preferences in the Americas but interest has started to drop.

• Wednesday, March 20th 2013 - 23:40 UTC

  Argentines expect inflation to reach 33.5% in the next twelve months

  

  Argentines expect inflation to reach 33.5% in the next twelve months, according to the latest report from the Finance Research Centre, CIF, which belongs to the Torcuato Di Tella University. This is half a percentage point higher than the previous release.

• Wednesday, March 20th 2013 - 23:09 UTC

  The Pope is Argentine, but God is Brazilian, says Rousseff; Francis is expected in Rio next July

  

  Argentines are lucky because they have a great Pope, but “if the Pope is Argentine, God is Brazilian”, said Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff on Wednesday following her half hour meeting with Francis and asked by Argentine reporters her impression of the new pontiff.

• Wednesday, March 20th 2013 - 08:54 UTC

  Francis inaugurates papacy with little pomp and much contact with the faithful

  

  Pope Francis on Tuesday inaugurated his papacy with a Mass in front of hundreds of thousands of people, foreign leaders and the Orthodox Christians Patriarch (first time since the great schism of 1054) in St. Peter's Square with a simplified rite that fuelled hopes for change in the scandal-plagued Roman Catholic Church.

• Wednesday, March 20th 2013 - 08:50 UTC

  Francis calls on world leaders ‘to be protectors of one another and of the environment’

  

  Under bright sunshine in St. Peter's Square, the Argentine pope insisted with his constant message since he was elected by a secret conclave of cardinals last week: that the Church's mission was to defend the poor and disadvantaged. Francis also called on leaders to protect the people and respect the environment.