Politics

• 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.

• Saturday, June 30th 2012 - 05:25 UTC

  Relief in EU: German parliament approved Euro rescue fund and fiscal pact

  

  As expected, more than two-thirds of the lawmakers in Germany's parliament moved on Friday to approve the permanent Euro rescue fund, the European Stability Mechanism, and a fiscal pact long championed by Chancellor Angela Merkel.

• Saturday, June 30th 2012 - 05:12 UTC

  Wikileaks Assange “declines to comply” police order and remains at Ecuadorean embassy

  

  Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is ignoring a London Metropolitan Police order to surrender himself at a police station, his representative has said. Susan Benn said he was advised to “decline to comply” and will remain inside the Ecuadorian embassy while his application for asylum is processed.

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

  Mercosur agrees info exchange on hydrocarbons naval traffic to the Falklands

  

  Mercosur agreed at the Mendoza summit to exchange information on ships and other “naval artefacts” involved in hydrocarbons activities with routes that include the Falklands/Malvinas Islands over which Argentina claims sovereignty.

• Saturday, June 30th 2012 - 04:45 UTC

  Unasur suspends Paraguay; names Peru at the group’s pro-tempore presidency

  

  Unasur, Union of South American nations on Friday suspended Paraguay from the group following the ouster of the country's former president, Fernando Lugo. The decision was adopted at an extraordinary meeting in Mendoza, Argentina where earlier in the day Mercosur members adopted a similar measure.

• Saturday, June 30th 2012 - 04:17 UTC

  Repsol donated a million dollars to the campaign of President Kirchner in 2003

  

  The nationalization of YPF, seized from Spain’s Repsol by Argentine president Cristina Fernandez is again a source of controversy following the disclosure by an investigative journalist that the Spanish oil corporation in 2003 helped finance the presidential election of Nestor Kirchner as well as the other candidate in the run-off, Carlos Menem.

• Saturday, June 30th 2012 - 04:06 UTC

  Why Enrique Peña Nieto will win the Mexican presidential election

  

  By Gwynne Dyer - There’s no point in talking about who’s going to win the Mexican presidential election on July 1. Enrique Peña Nieto is going to win it. What’s more interesting is why he’s going to win it.

• Saturday, June 30th 2012 - 03:52 UTC

  Mercosur ‘suspended’ Paraguay feels free to establish trade links with other countries

  

  President Federico Franco announced in a press conference that if Paraguay is suspended from Mercosur the country will feel free to look for other trade agreements and international relations.