Politics

• Wednesday, October 10th 2012 - 09:47 UTC

  Paraguay ratifies it rejects point blank Venezuela’s incorporation to Mercosur

  

  President Federico Franco ratified on Monday before the Diplomatic Corps that Paraguay rejects point blank the incorporation of Venezuela as full member of Mercosur and also considers the country was unfairly treated by the block.

• Wednesday, October 10th 2012 - 09:39 UTC

  One in eight people worldwide suffer from chronic hunger, says FAO

  

  One in eight people worldwide still suffers from chronic hunger, the UN's food agency said on Tuesday, describing the figure as “unacceptable” and warning that the fight against hunger was slowing down.

• Wednesday, October 10th 2012 - 09:29 UTC

  With hunger, the only acceptable number is ”zero”

  

  By Jose Graziano da Silva, Director General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization - Achieving the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving the prevalence of hunger in the world by 2015 is still within reach, but a strong, sustained acceleration of efforts is needed. Progress made in the fight against hunger since the middle of the last decade has lost steam, and it is time to regain momentum.

• Wednesday, October 10th 2012 - 09:25 UTC

  Spanish parliament blocks Catalonia referendum on independence

  

  Spain's parliament voted to block the northern region of Catalonia from holding a referendum on independence, the latest step in a growing political battle between Barcelona and Madrid in the midst of a deepening economic downturn.

• Wednesday, October 10th 2012 - 08:57 UTC

  Brazil ratifies full support to President Santos and the Colombian peace process

  

  Brazil extended full support ‘in whatever is necessary’ to Colombia’s peace process which is scheduled to begin next 17 October in Norway and will continue in Cuba, announced the Executive Planalto Palace.

• Wednesday, October 10th 2012 - 08:49 UTC

  ‘Hour of reckoning’ speech for Cameron’s future at Tory conference

  

  Britain must cut its budget deficit and fix its economy or face long-term decline, Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron will say on Wednesday, seeking to convince voters that his austerity plan is the only way forward.

• Wednesday, October 10th 2012 - 08:40 UTC

  US outbreak of fungal meningitis triggers debate on pharmaceutical compounding

  

  A rare US outbreak of fungal meningitis linked to steroid injections has claimed four more lives with Florida the latest state to report at least one death linked to the illness in a widening health scare, authorities said on Tuesday.

• Wednesday, October 10th 2012 - 08:30 UTC

  Ecuador’s Correa preparing the ground for his re-election bid in 2013

  

  Ecuador's President Rafael Correa said his family would support him if he were to run for re-election in 2013 and that his candidacy now rested on the “high chances” that he would be nominated as the ruling party's candidate.

• Wednesday, October 10th 2012 - 08:23 UTC

  Brazil high court convicts top aides of Lula da Silva for ‘Mensalao’ corruption scandal

  

  Brazil's Supreme Court convicted three top aides of former president Lula da Silva of graft related to a vote-buying scheme in Congress. Lula's ex-chief of staff Jose Dirceu was found guilty by six of the 10 judges in connection with the scheme that ran from 2002 to 2005 during the popular president's first term, a court spokesman said.

• Wednesday, October 10th 2012 - 08:13 UTC

  Foreign exchange clamp forces Argentine province to pay dollar bonds in pesos

  

  The foreign exchange clamp in Argentina is reaching the provinces, one of which at least was unable to honor maturing bonds in dollars and made the payment in Argentine Pesos.