Politics

• Wednesday, April 25th 2012 - 20:34 UTC

  Fed repeated promise to leave interest rates on hold until late 2014

  

  The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday repeated its promise to leave interest rates on hold until at least late 2014 but offered few clues into whether it might offer additional stimulus later this year.

• Wednesday, April 25th 2012 - 07:02 UTC

  Argentina must take control of its natural resources, insists Cristina Fernandez

  

  Argentine President Cristina Fernández vindicated her decision to expropriate YPF, assuring that her Government “remains convinced that all Argentines should be in control of the country’s natural resources.”

• Wednesday, April 25th 2012 - 06:51 UTC

  Holland enters in Euro risk zone as political parties clash over further austerity

  

  Holland one of the few show cases of Europe with all economic indicators the envy of its fellow EU members has stalled in a political controversy while at the other end Greece sees no end to suffering in its fifth year of recession.

• Wednesday, April 25th 2012 - 06:47 UTC

  Brazil/US discuss military technology transfer as part of defence cooperation

  

  Brazilian Defence Minister Celso Amorim and his visiting US peer Leon Panetta considered an increase in cooperation in many different areas including cyber-security, science and military technology and humanitarian assistance during a bilateral meeting held in Brasilia.

• Wednesday, April 25th 2012 - 06:41 UTC

  Fitch upgrades rating outlook to positive; warnings about Argentina and inflation

  

  Fitch Ratings revised Uruguay's rating outlook to positive from stable on Tuesday, citing the country's ability to cut external and budget vulnerabilities. However Fitch warns about the deteriorating situation in neighbouring Argentina and inflation.

• Wednesday, April 25th 2012 - 06:36 UTC

  G-20 membership attracts Chile, but not prepared to replace dissident Argentina

  

  Chilean diplomacy has been active preparing for the next G-20 meeting in Mexico which it plans to attend as a “special guest”, but also because the future could hold an even greater prize if Argentina’s erratic behaviour finally is no longer acceptable for the rest of the group’s members.

• Wednesday, April 25th 2012 - 06:21 UTC

  Uruguay and Argentina reach agreement on tax information exchange

  

  Uruguay and Argentina agreed to exchange tax data in a deal that gives Argentine inspectors the power to dig up information on savers with bank accounts in the neighbouring country, officials said on Tuesday.

• Wednesday, April 25th 2012 - 04:47 UTC

  Repsol says it has invested over 20 billion dollars since taking over YPF in 1999

  

  Spain’s energy corporation Repsol describes as ‘false’ Argentine government allegations that its affiliate YPF “had not invested sufficiently” in its hydrocarbons interests in Argentina.

• Wednesday, April 25th 2012 - 03:01 UTC

  Second incident involving US Defence personnel and prostitutes surfaces in Brazil

  

  Another embarrassing ‘Colombian style’ incident surfaced involving US personnel and prostitutes in Latin America on Tuesday, as US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said that Marines had been punished for allegedly injuring a prostitute in Brazil in December.

• Wednesday, April 25th 2012 - 02:56 UTC

  Video on Chavez playing bocce to dispel rumours about his health condition

  

  The Venezuelan government on Tuesday broadcast a video of President Hugo Chavez playing the European bowling game of bocce in Cuba in a new effort to quash rumours that he was dying of cancer while out of the country.