Politics

• Tuesday, February 28th 2012 - 05:02 UTC

  Brazil will cut the benchmark interest rate “to less than 10%” this year

  

  Brazilian central bank survey showing interest rate levels are inconsistent with the country’s inflation target won’t alter policy makers’ strategy of lowering borrowing costs further, bank President Alexandre Tombini said.

• Tuesday, February 28th 2012 - 04:18 UTC

  President Correa, in lead case, pardons newspaper publishers and former columnist

  

  Ecuador's populist president, Rafael Correa, on Monday pardoned three newspaper publishers and a former columnist who had been sentenced to jail and ordered to pay 40 million dollars damages in a libel case that angered media freedom advocates.

• Tuesday, February 28th 2012 - 04:16 UTC

  Switzerland asks banking system s to prevent un-taxed assets in their accounts

  

  Switzerland has asked its banks to tighten due diligence process to prevent un-taxed assets in their accounts without violating client confidentiality. The measures come on the back of growing international pressure on Swiss authorities to act against any possible hoarding of illicit and untaxed money in Switzerland-based banks.

• Tuesday, February 28th 2012 - 01:51 UTC

  YPF feeling the noose from Argentina; Madrid doing its best to defend Spanish interest

  

  Foreign Affairs minister Jose Manuel García-Margallo assured that the Spanish government “is doing what must be done” to defend the interests of Spanish companies in Argentina, but has avoided releasing details.

• Tuesday, February 28th 2012 - 00:27 UTC

  EC report on trade and investments criticizes Mercosur protectionism

  

  The European Commission in its latest report on trade and investments complains about Mercosur protectionist policies, restrictions to maritime transport and to the export of commodities particularly from Brazil and Argentina.

• Monday, February 27th 2012 - 20:05 UTC

  Spain refuses to share recovered undersea booty with former American colonies

  

  Spain rejected Peru's claim to a huge multimillion-dollar undersea treasure recovered from the wreckage of a galleon that had left from Montevideo port more than 200 years ago loaded with precious metals originally from the Peruvian highlands.

• Monday, February 27th 2012 - 17:35 UTC

  Gibraltar and La Linea address common issues that “concern the real people”

  

  Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo received at Convent Palace neighbouring La Linea Mayor Gemma Araujo to review issues of mutual interest and concern, during a meeting followed by a press conference which was described as very positive.

• Monday, February 27th 2012 - 16:41 UTC

  Port of Ushuaia refuses entry of cruise vessels that visited the Falkland Islands

  

  Argentina has banned two cruise ships from calling at Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego after they visited the Falkland Islands, apparently based on recent provincial legislation, according to reports in the Ushuaia media.

• Monday, February 27th 2012 - 04:55 UTC

  Mujica admits trade relations with Argentina are “very complicated”

  

  Uruguayan President José Mujica admitted trade relations with Argentina are “very complicated” because of the import restrictions implemented by the government of President Cristina Fernández and did not discard ‘mirror’ measures to counter

• Monday, February 27th 2012 - 04:52 UTC

  Colombia’s FARC promises to release hostages and end economic kidnapping

  

  Colombia's feared FARC rebel group said it would abandon its decades-long policy of economic kidnapping and free all military and police hostages it holds in jungle camps, another sign the drug-funded Marxist inspired insurgents may want peace.