Politics

• Monday, May 14th 2012 - 05:38 UTC

  “Interest rate has been falling not to please Dilma”, says Brazil Central bank chief

  

  The central bank remains independent and the current interest-rate cutting cycle is driven by specific economic factors, not pressure from President Dilma Rousseff, Brazil’s central bank President Alexandre Tombini said in an interview in the Sunday edition of O Estado de S. Paulo.

• Monday, May 14th 2012 - 05:26 UTC

  Queen Sofia attends “on private capacity” Coronation celebration in London

  

  The Spanish Government formally protested its “displeasure and discomfort” over the state visit of the Earl of Wessex to Gibraltar next month. But Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Garcia-Margallo nonetheless confirmed that the Spanish Queen Sofia will attend the May 18, 60th anniversary of the Coronation celebration in London, but “in a private capacity”.

• Monday, May 14th 2012 - 05:15 UTC

  Former Brazilian president wins Human Sciences Prize for lifetime achievement

  

  Fernando Henrique Cardoso, a Brazilian scholar turned president, has won the $1 million John W. Kluge Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Human Sciences, the United States Library of Congress plans to announce Monday.

• Monday, May 14th 2012 - 05:03 UTC

  German opposition wins in the most populous state and finds their “SPD Angela”

  

  Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives suffered a crushing defeat on Sunday in an election in Germany’s most populous state, a result which could embolden the left opposition to step up attacks on her European austerity policies.

• Monday, May 14th 2012 - 05:00 UTC

  Town in Kent celebrates 250th anniversary of first recording of ‘sandwich’

  

  When John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, ordered beef served between slices of bread about 250 years ago he probably did not think his request would become a global convenience meal.

• Monday, May 14th 2012 - 04:34 UTC

  Chavez one man show to convince followers his doing fine

  

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez strode, sang and gave a rousing speech on Friday in a careful show of vigour after his latest cancer treatment in Cuba fanned rumours he was dying five months before an election.

• Monday, May 14th 2012 - 04:20 UTC

  Unasur defence spending one of the lowest in the world: average 0.91% of GDP

  

  Union of South American Nations (Unasur) member states released a report detailing each country’s military spending. Ministers and diplomats from the twelve nation regional bloc also pledged further military integration, proposing the creation of a Citizen Security Council.

• Monday, May 14th 2012 - 03:49 UTC

  Latam and Asia-Pacific plan closer; bilateral trade expanding 20% annually

  

  Fast-growing trade and investment between the Asia-Pacific area and Latin America and the Caribbean have transformed the two regions into powerful motors for the world economy, with two-way trade hitting 442 billion dollars last year. The time is right to deepen cooperation so as to ensure future growth and prosperity, according to a new study.

• Sunday, May 13th 2012 - 09:10 UTC

  Argentina doesn’t want to start a trade war

  

  By Jorge Argüello (*) - What defines a protectionist country nowadays? Is it when a developing country takes precautions against a flood of products with plummeting prices due to an international crisis? Or, is it when an export powerhouse delivers large subsidies exclusively for domestic production? In a world economy like today’s can protectionism be measured solely by Customs measures or those targeting imports?

• Saturday, May 12th 2012 - 09:21 UTC

  Argentina/Spain dispute moves from oil corporation to too quality hams

  

  Just days after finalizing the hostile takeover of Spanish-owned oil and gas company YPF, the Argentine government got even more hostile, freezing imports of Spain’s signature delicacy: ham.