Politics

Sunday, September 12th 2010 - 06:45 UTC
China trade surplus down; US congress set to discuss value of the Yuan

China's trade surplus narrowed in August as imports picked up at a faster pace and exports slowed although not drastically, official figures showed on Friday. The data is likely to keep up pressure on Beijing to ease currency controls.
Sunday, September 12th 2010 - 06:41 UTC
Public debate erupts in UK over the building of two (one?) air carriers

British Ministry of Defence revealed that contracts worth about £1.25bn have been awarded for building two aircraft carriers even though the project may not go ahead, figures have revealed. The figures came in answer to a parliamentary question by a Labour MP.
Sunday, September 12th 2010 - 06:39 UTC
Ex Argentine president Kirchner undergoes emergency angioplasty

Former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner is back in the Los Arcos hospital with heart trouble. There were no immediate announcements from the government, but according to the local Noticias Argentinas news agency, the husband of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner Fernandez underwent an angioplasty after he was rushed to a clinic in the capital late Saturday night with numbness in his legs.
Saturday, September 11th 2010 - 19:30 UTC
Argentine poor legislation and corruption promote trafficking of persons, says UN

United Nations Special Rapporteur on trafficking of persons Joy Ngozi Ezeilo advised Argentine authorities that “an ‘urgent’ reform of the governing law for this crime, whose victims do not have protection or access to justice, is urgently needed”.
Saturday, September 11th 2010 - 18:28 UTC
Dilma only waiting for October 3 to become Brazil’s first woman president

With only three weeks left the ruling Brazilian government Workers Party presidential candidate Dilma Rousseff increased her advantage over the main opposition hopeful, former Sao Paulo governor Jose Serra to 23 points, according to the latest opinion polls released by Folha de Sao Paulo the television network O’Globo.
Saturday, September 11th 2010 - 17:52 UTC
Kirchner praises Chilean Senate approval of Unasur Constitutive Treaty

Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) Secretary-General, Néstor Kirchner, celebrated the Chilean Senate's approval of the regional organization's Constitutive Treaty and highlighted the “compromise” of Chile with the “unity of South America.”
Saturday, September 11th 2010 - 17:50 UTC
Chile’s Catholic willing to help negotiate in Mapuche hunger strike

The Chilean Catholic Church has agreed to help negotiate an end to nearly two-month long hunger strike by indigenous Mapuche prisoners, following an assistance request earlier this week from President Sebastián Piñera
Saturday, September 11th 2010 - 17:47 UTC
Fidel Castro’s “no but yes”: comments on Cuban model were “misinterpreted”

Fidel Castro said his recent comment that communist-led Cuba's economic model does not work was misunderstood, and that what he really meant was capitalism does not work.
Saturday, September 11th 2010 - 17:43 UTC
Mercosur and Unasur “more effective” for South America than OAS

Mercosur and Unasur (Union of South American Nations) can be “more effective” than OAS (Organization of American States) in addressing issues of South American countries, said Brazilian Foreign Secretary Celso Amorim currently in Switzerland for a conference on international security.
Friday, September 10th 2010 - 04:31 UTC
Kirchner cabinet refutes FT report: no IMF revision of Argentine economy

Argentina is still opposed to having its economy reviewed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), government ministers said on Thursday, refuting recent media reports to the contrary.