Politics

• Monday, July 2nd 2012 - 06:00 UTC

  OAS fact-finding mission on the Paraguayan situation arrives in Asuncion

  

  The Paraguayan government named a special committee of military, police and diplomatic officials to help avoid possible incidents of violence when the fact-finding delegation from the Organization of American States, arrives in Asuncion.

• Monday, July 2nd 2012 - 05:53 UTC

  Rio do Janeiro and its spectacular landscape declared world heritage site

  

  Rio do Janeiro's iconic landscape, marked by soaring granite facades that drop into the ocean and white-sand beaches that go on for miles, is now an official world heritage site.

• Monday, July 2nd 2012 - 05:32 UTC

  Catholic Church rapidly loosing ground to evangelists in Brazil

  

  Less than two-thirds of Brazilians identify as Catholics, marking a record decline in what is considered to be the world's largest Catholic country, new figures showed Friday.

• Monday, July 2nd 2012 - 05:22 UTC

  Gibraltar will never cede “an iota of sovereignty to Spain”, says Picardo

  

  Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo has declared that he will never hand over “a grain of sand, a drop of water or a breath of air to Spain”. In an interview with the Spanish national press agency EFE, in Gibraltar House in London, Picardo regretted the “difficult relations with Spain” but reiterated that he would never cede “an iota of sovereignty to Spain.”

• Monday, July 2nd 2012 - 05:13 UTC

  Gibraltar and Spain agree on new round of fishing activities technical talks

  

  Gibraltar and Spain are edging closer to a fishing activities agreement and a further round of technical talks between the Gibraltar Government’s fishing commission and Spanish fishermen has been agreed for next week.

• Monday, July 2nd 2012 - 01:00 UTC

  “Argentina will be responsible for the end of Mercosur” claims top Brazilian businessman

  

  Brazilian businessman Rubens Barbosa, head of the foreign trade council of the Sao Paolo Federation of businessmen said on Sunday that in the last six months, the Argentine presidency of the bloc implemented measures that practically killed the Mercosur.
  “Argentina will be responsible for the end of Mercosur,” he predicted.

• Monday, July 2nd 2012 - 00:50 UTC

  Venezuelan presidential campaign takes off: Chavez leads massive rally

  

  President Hugo Chávez shook off his health problems to lead a massive rally on Sunday while opposition rival Henrique Capriles took to remote regions for the formal launch of Venezuela's presidential race.

• Monday, July 2nd 2012 - 00:23 UTC

  Former Mercosur top official blasts lack of political support and coordination

  

  Mercosur high representative Samuel Pinheiro Guimaraes resigned because of “political reasons”, following the presentation of a report warning on the future of the regional block in the framework of the international crisis.

• Monday, July 2nd 2012 - 00:16 UTC

  Paraguay considers consulting the people whether “to continue or not in Mercosur”

  

  Paraguay’s government blasted Mercosur decision of incorporating Venezuela as a full member of the bloc “before finishing the legislative procedure to do so” and did not discard the possibility of having the Paraguayan people “decide whether to remain or not in Mercosur”.

• Saturday, June 30th 2012 - 05:39 UTC

  Mercosur doubles list of goods that can have tariffs raised unilaterally 35% by each member

  

  Mercosur rejected an Argentine proposal to raise imports tariffs on all goods from outer zone to protect local industries, but accepted Brazil’s initiative to raise tariffs unilaterally on 200 goods, up from 100 agreed last December.