Politics

• Monday, July 16th 2012 - 03:05 UTC

  Mercosur reduced to a group “of bear-hugging and kissing compañeros”

  

  The influential British business and politics magazine The Economist anticipates that following the latest decisions by Mercosur, the South American group has little if any future. The Economist argues that the mounting protectionism and the rule-breaking admission of Venezuela have fatally undermined a once-promising trade block.

• Monday, July 16th 2012 - 02:35 UTC

  Hollande says jobs (and neutralizing family affairs), are his priorities

  

  President Francois Hollande marked Bastille Day (July 14) celebrations with a pledge to fight industrial layoffs and clean up French politics, after watching troops parade down the Champs Elysees as jets streamed the national colours overhead.

• Saturday, July 14th 2012 - 07:46 UTC

  Venezuela/Argentina sign military cooperation in framework of Unasur Defence Council

  

  Venezuelan Defence minister Henry Rangel Silva and his Argentine peer Arturo Puricelli signed on Friday a cooperation agreement to further advance in the integration of the two armed forces in the framework of the Unasur Defence Council.

• Saturday, July 14th 2012 - 07:39 UTC

  Bolivia announces the “end of Coca Cola and capitalism” for December 21

  

  December 21, the austral summer solstice, will mark the end of Coca Cola and capitalism and the start of a new cosmic era of community spirit and love, announced Bolivia’s Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca.

• Saturday, July 14th 2012 - 07:01 UTC

  Bolivia willing to compensate for silver mine but positions are distant

  

  Bolivian government is willing to compensate South American Silver Corp for revoking its concession on the Malku Khota project, but it will be far less than the 16 million dollars the company says it has invested, the country's vice president said on Thursday.

• Saturday, July 14th 2012 - 01:22 UTC

  Argentina has three annual inflation estimates: 9.9%; 23.96% and 30%

  

  Argentina's government reported Friday that consumer prices rose by 0.7% in June. The estimate, published by national statistics agency, Indec, indicates that in the first half of 2012 inflation reached 5.1% and 9.9% in the last twelve months.

• Saturday, July 14th 2012 - 00:46 UTC

  Chavez becomes an issue of the US presidential campaign

  

  President Hugo Chavez denied on Friday that Venezuela was a threat to anyone, after US presidential hopeful Mitt Romney criticized Barack Obama for playing down the risk posed by the socialist leader.

• Saturday, July 14th 2012 - 00:36 UTC

  Argentine province reviewing BP operating licence in main oil field

  

  Argentina’s Chubut province is reviewing the operating license of BP Plc main oil field in the country and may revoke it, the provincial oil minister said. The review started after operations were interrupted last month for over three weeks during a workers’ protest, Minister Ezequiel Cufre said in an interview in Buenos Aires.

• Friday, July 13th 2012 - 23:46 UTC

  Rousseff pledges to prop the economy but with no EU-style austerity measures

  

  Brazil will not adopt EU-style austerity measures to tackle its economic crisis and will instead cut taxes and maintain social programs, President Dilma Rousseff said on Friday.

• Friday, July 13th 2012 - 23:41 UTC

  Former PM Berlusconi will return as candidate in next year’s general election

  

  Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will return to frontline politics as the centre-right candidate in next year's general election, a senior official in his PDL party was quoted this week.