Politics

• Tuesday, June 14th 2011 - 22:08 UTC

  Iraq reconstruction 6.6bn USD are missing, says official US investigation

  

  Some 6.6bn US dollars flown into Iraq eight years ago may have been stolen, according to a US official investigating fraud in the country. The missing money may represent “the largest theft of funds in national history”, investigator Stuart Bowen told the Los Angeles Times newspaper.

• Tuesday, June 14th 2011 - 21:07 UTC

  Volcanic ash cloud forces the re-programming of Mercosur technical meeting

  

  The 83rd ordinary meeting of the Common Market Group in the framework of Mercosur and which was scheduled for this week has been re-programmed for June 16 and 17, because of the volcanic ash cloud that has disrupted normal air traffic.

• Tuesday, June 14th 2011 - 20:47 UTC

  EU/Mercosur trade talks are frozen on the “edge of the cliff”

  

  Trade talks between Mercosur and the European Union have been frozen on the “edge of the cliff” because of the European debt crisis, differences over agriculture subsidies and other crucial issues according to sources in Brazil from both sides.

• Tuesday, June 14th 2011 - 16:56 UTC

  UN forecasts unemployment in Latin America will drop below 7% in 2011

  

  The strong economic recovery of Latin America and the Caribbean will make it possible to bring down unemployment significantly from 7.3% in 2010 to between 6.7% and 7.0% in 2011, according to ECLAC and ILO.

• Tuesday, June 14th 2011 - 15:23 UTC

  Religious leader attacks Brazilian ruling party for becoming consultants of big business

  

  Brazilian Dominican friar Frei Betto considered one of the promoters of the so called Liberation Theology attacked the ruling Brazilian Workers Party because instead of fostering links with social movements prefer to be cosy with big business and their leaders have become consultants of business people and bankers.

• Tuesday, June 14th 2011 - 15:12 UTC

  One in six Argentine children aged 5-17 forced to work to help their families

  

  An estimated 17.6% of Argentine children between the age of 5 and 17 living in urban areas are forced to work, according to a report from the Argentine Catholic University, UCA, released last week.

• Tuesday, June 14th 2011 - 14:04 UTC

  Nepal designated landmine free country; UK main contributor to the milestone

  

  The UK Government congratulated Nepal for the successful clearance of its last remaining minefields and its designation as a landmine free country. On the culmination of the task, the Foreign Office called on the Nepalese government to join the Ottawa Convention

• Tuesday, June 14th 2011 - 02:48 UTC

  Peru’s Humala interested in joining “political” mechanisms of Mercosur

  

  Peru is interested in regional integration, security, education, combating narcotics but full membership of Mercosur is “distant” said president elect Ollanta Humala during a one day visit to Uruguay, before leaving late Monday for Argentina.

• Tuesday, June 14th 2011 - 02:46 UTC

  Venezuelan president recovering in Cuba says he is in “full capacities”

  

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Monday he had his “full faculties” after an operation in Cuba and was still managing government affairs despite being ordered to rest for several days more.

• Monday, June 13th 2011 - 22:02 UTC

  Ban Ki-moon celebrates birthday on an Argentine coach and with ‘alfajores’

  

  On the day of his 67th birthday, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and his delegation arrived in Buenos Aires by coach after having landed in the northern city of Cordoba.