Politics

• Wednesday, February 9th 2011 - 20:55 UTC

  Brazilian January inflation highest since April 2005

  

  Brazilian officials say inflation in January was the highest monthly jump in almost six years. The government's IBGE statistics bureau said that January inflation was 0.83%, the biggest monthly jump since April 2005, when inflation was 0.87%.

• Wednesday, February 9th 2011 - 20:42 UTC

  Brazil to trim budget and fight inflation by eliminating all 2009 stimuli

  

  Brazil announces 50 billion Real (30 billion US dollars) cuts from this year’s budget as President Dilma Rousseff seeks to help the central bank contain inflation and lower some the world’s highest real interest rates.

• Wednesday, February 9th 2011 - 20:13 UTC

  A former secretary of Nestor Kirchner claims she was his mistress

  

  A former secretary of Nestor Kirchner, the late ex-president of Argentina, has claimed she was his long-term mistress weeks after being sacked by his widow and successor, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

• Wednesday, February 9th 2011 - 06:39 UTC

  Egypt discovers a cyber hero for its anti Mubarak revolution

  

  In Wael Ghonim, Egypt's anti-Mubarak street movement finally found a hero to rally around after a period of leaderless protest. The Egyptian-born Google marketing executive first played a role in organising the opposition through Facebook, only to disappear into police custody for 12 days.

• Wednesday, February 9th 2011 - 06:33 UTC

  Kirchner administrations lack “true political will” to eradicate corruption

  

  More than a hundred cables from the US embassy in Buenos Aires warned about the fragility of the judicial system and the impunity of criminals, according to an article recently published by Spanish newspaper El País. The leaked documents also spoke of the lack of a “true political will” to eradicate corruption.

• Tuesday, February 8th 2011 - 23:58 UTC

  Falklands’ war carrier HMS Invincible towed to a Turkish scrap-yard

  

  The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Invincible which had a leading role in the recovery of the Falkland Islands in 1982 has been sold to a Turkish scrap-yard which specialises in recycling ships.

• Tuesday, February 8th 2011 - 21:00 UTC

  Russian chartered polar vessel supports Argentine Antarctic 2010/11 campaign

  

  Argentina in this 2010/11 campaign has been supplying Antarctic bases and stations with support from a Russian polar vessel equipped with an icebreaking bow and its own Navy units.

• Tuesday, February 8th 2011 - 20:00 UTC

  US, China and EU recognize and welcome the new nation of South Sudan

  

  United States, China and the European Union announced they would recognize south Sudan as the world’s newest nation. President Barack Obama went further and rewarded north Sudan for its cooperation by taking it off a terrorism blacklist.

• Tuesday, February 8th 2011 - 18:16 UTC

  German cadet death that triggered “mutiny” in training ship was “unfit for duty”

  

  The 25-year-old female cadet who died after falling from rigging on the German training ship Gorch Fock was unfit for duty because of her weight, according to German media reports on Tuesday.

• Tuesday, February 8th 2011 - 17:49 UTC

  Rate hikes expected in Brazil and Chile as global commodity prices drive inflation

  

  Global commodity prices continue to be the main driver of inflation in both Brazil and Chile, according to the latest Latin America update report from Capital Economics.