Politics

• Tuesday, August 23rd 2011 - 06:42 UTC

  OAS calls for ‘shared responsibility’ from drug-consuming countries

  

  Consumer countries must assume their responsibility in the fight against the drug trade because as long as there is a demand, the illegal business won’t be stopped said the Organization of American States Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza who also praised his host Peruvian president Ollanta Humala for convening a presidential summit on the issue.

• Tuesday, August 23rd 2011 - 06:33 UTC

  After effects of downgrading US credit rating: KO for S&P president

  

  Standard & Poor's (S&P) president Deven Sharma has stepped down just weeks after the agency downgraded the US credit rating. He will be replaced by Douglas Peterson, chief operating officer of Citibank with effect from 12 September, the agency said.

• Tuesday, August 23rd 2011 - 06:29 UTC

  Brazilian press targets Communications minister with corruption allegations

  

  Another Brazilian minister, and particularly close to President Dilma Rousseff has been targeted by the Sunday edition of a Sao Paulo magazine with national circulation. According to the report Communications minister Paulo Bernardo has been using the private jet of a major public contractor of the Brazilian government.

• Tuesday, August 23rd 2011 - 06:15 UTC

  Prosecutors ask judge to dismiss sexual assault charges against Struss-Khan

  

  New York prosecutors asked a judge to dismiss sexual assault charges against former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a stunning reversal that could revive the political future of a man many had seen as the next president of France.

• Tuesday, August 23rd 2011 - 04:18 UTC

  Falklands’ hydrocarbons policy “is primarily a matter for the Islands”

  

  The hydrocarbons policy within Falkland Islands waters is primarily a matter for the Falklands government and the UK is in no negotiations with Argentina over the future exploitation of any oil deposits found in the Islands waters, said Lord Howell of Guildford, Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office during question time in the House earlier this month.

• Tuesday, August 23rd 2011 - 04:12 UTC

  Argentina says the pulp mill conflict with Uruguay is over and ‘buried’

  

  Diplomatic relations between Argentina and Uruguay are going through “a very good moment, which can obviously be improved”, but there are “no open conflicts” because the dispute over the Botnia pulp mill has been definitively “buried”, said Argentine Foreign Affairs minister Hector Timerman.

• Tuesday, August 23rd 2011 - 04:04 UTC

  Brazil auctions first concession to construct and operate major airport

  

  Brazil's government on Monday auctioned rights to the first major airport to be operated by a private company as the country moves to pick up the pace of investment in its air travel infrastructure ahead of the 2014 World Soccer Cup.

• Tuesday, August 23rd 2011 - 04:02 UTC

  UK buys 14 new Chinooks taking the total force of heavy lift helicopters to 60

  

  The Royal Air Force is getting 14 new Chinook, one of the most versatile heavy duty helicopters that have seen service for many years in the most demanding environments from the Falklands to Iraq and Afghanistan.

• Tuesday, August 23rd 2011 - 00:36 UTC

  Unasur Foreign Affairs ministers meet in Buenos Aires to address global crisis

  

  The Union of South American Nations, (Unasur) Foreign Affairs ministers’ council will be holding on Wednesday an extraordinary summit in Buenos Aires to address several issues related to last week’s meeting of Unasur Finance ministers.

• Monday, August 22nd 2011 - 20:59 UTC

  Chavez supporters shave their heads in solidarity with the Venezuelan leader

  

  Supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez shaved their heads in solidarity with their leader's struggle against cancer. Barbers shaved off the hair of several men and at least one woman while the crowd swayed to a religious song on Sunday as hundreds prayed and sang at a televised event.