Politics

• Thursday, March 3rd 2011 - 06:19 UTC

  Fearing overheated economy Brazil raises basic interest rate 50 points to 11.75%

  

  Brazil’s Central bank on Wednesday raised its benchmark overnight rate by a half-point for a second straight meeting to cool inflation that is approaching the upper limit of the government’s target range.

• Thursday, March 3rd 2011 - 06:12 UTC

  Venezuelan president proposes peace commission to mediate in Libyan conflict

  

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez spoke with embattled strongman Moammar Gaddafi and discussed creating a multinational commission to mediate the unrest in Libya, according to an internet message posted Wednesday by a Venezuelan government official.

• Thursday, March 3rd 2011 - 06:06 UTC

  Vargas Llosa is “an enemy of Argentina and all populist governments”

  

  In spite of President Cristina Fernandez instructions to scale down the controversy over the attendance of Literature Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa to Buenos for the opening of the Book Fair, the exchanges continued Wednesday.

• Thursday, March 3rd 2011 - 05:55 UTC

  Argentine has ‘liberated’ 75% of retained import licences says Uruguayan minister

  

  Uruguay’s cabinet meeting spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that Argentina had “liberated” 75% of the import licences that remained delayed and which was one of the main points of the agenda in the recent summit between Uruguayan president Jose Mujica and Argentina’s Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

• Thursday, March 3rd 2011 - 05:46 UTC

  IMF chief praises Uruguay, cautions good times are not for ever

  

  IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Khan praised the management and achievements of the Uruguayan economy and said it was a pleasure to visit a country that does not have major problems resulting from the 2008 global financial crisis, which is a “recurrent issue” of his busy agenda.

• Thursday, March 3rd 2011 - 05:30 UTC

  Velux 5 Oceans in Punta del Este; Van Liew with Le Pingouin wins third consecutive leg

  

  The US skipper Brad Van Liew won his third consecutive leg in the Velux 5 Oceans race on Tuesday evening pulling into Punta del Este, Uruguay, eight days after rounding Cape Horn in his 60-foot Eco 60 Le Pingouin..

• Wednesday, March 2nd 2011 - 17:44 UTC

  New Irish government gauges ‘potential damage’ of Mercosur/EU trade talks

  

  Mercosur negotiations and Ireland’s share of the EU agriculture spending are seen as the main challenging demands for the new Agriculture minister of the Fine Gael-Labour coalition government in Dublin.

• Wednesday, March 2nd 2011 - 17:36 UTC

  Unemployment up in Spain: 4.3 million registered as out of a job

  

  The number of people out of a job Spain, which has the highest unemployment rate in the industrialized world, rose further in February reaching a 15 year high, the Labour ministry said Wednesday.

• Wednesday, March 2nd 2011 - 17:33 UTC

  World’s richest man opens impressive museum (66.000 pieces) in Mexico City

  

  The reputed world's richest man Carlos Slim inaugurated a massive museum in Mexico City on Tuesday to house his eclectic collection of art ranging from pre-Hispanic pieces to sculptures by French masters.

• Wednesday, March 2nd 2011 - 07:20 UTC

  Latin America challenges to be discussed at IDB annual meeting in Canada

  

  Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) will hold its Annual meeting in Calgary, Canada, from March 25 to 28, with the participation of top government authorities from the Bank’s 48 member countries, including several finance ministers and central banks chiefs.