Politics

• Thursday, June 30th 2011 - 20:10 UTC

  Relief in financial markets: Greece approves austerity and privatization package

  

  The Greek parliament approved on Thursday detailed austerity and privatization bills in a crucial vote to secure emergency funds and avert imminent bankruptcy, but longer-term dangers still lurk.

• Thursday, June 30th 2011 - 20:06 UTC

  Pickets take to the streets of Britain to protest pension reforms

  

  Teachers and civil servants marched through the streets and picketed government buildings across Britain today in protest at planned pension reforms, launching what could be a long period of labour unrest over austerity measures.

• Thursday, June 30th 2011 - 16:47 UTC

  Mercosur plans coordinate tariffs mechanism to contain “unexpected surge of imports”

  

  Brazil’s proposal to Mercosur members of a coordinated tariffs’ package with the purpose of containing unexpected imports surges, particularly of cheap products, from Europe, Asia and the United States is to be implemented in the second half of the year.

• Thursday, June 30th 2011 - 07:23 UTC

  Brazil calls for conclusion of EU/Mercosur trade talks and warns about cheap imports

  

  Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff said it was urgent for Mercosur/European Union trade negotiations to conclude although also emphasizing the need to promote and intensive South/South relations, but warning that some outer region countries are intent in “sending us what they can’t sell in developed countries”.

• Thursday, June 30th 2011 - 06:58 UTC

  IMF urges a political agreement on the US federal debt ceiling

  

  Failure by US lawmakers to agree soon on a deal to raise the government's borrowing limit could deliver a “severe shock” to a still fragile recovery and global markets, the International Monetary Fund warned.

• Thursday, June 30th 2011 - 06:53 UTC

  Trade problems between Brazil and Argentina ‘persist’, but can be managed

  

  Trade problems between Mercosur two main partners ‘subsist’, but both sides are optimistic that they can be solved. The revelation in the framework of the Mercosur summit follows weeks of discussions and paralyzing trade, sometimes for weeks at the borders.

• Thursday, June 30th 2011 - 06:50 UTC

  Alleged hackers’ attack cancels Argentine senate debate on digital duties

  

  The Argentine Senate had to cancel a debate scheduled for Wednesday to discuss digital duties following an alleged hackers attack. The bill looks to apply a new tax to the manufacturing of digital media players, whose earnings would go to writers and music composers.

• Thursday, June 30th 2011 - 06:40 UTC

  Falklands/Malvinas: Mercosur supports Argentina; rejects UK Defence minister words

  

  The Mercosur presidential summit unanimously supported Argentina’s legitimate sovereignty rights over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands and strongly rejected “regrettable statements” from British Defence Secretary Liam Fox regarding the use of force.

• Thursday, June 30th 2011 - 01:10 UTC

  Chavez health mystery increases as major summit and celebrations are suspended

  

  Venezuela has suspended a regional summit scheduled for 5 July, --which also coincides with the 200th anniversary of the country’s independence--, amid continuing speculation over the state of health of President Hugo Chavez.

• Thursday, June 30th 2011 - 00:28 UTC

  Mercosur wants Bolivia and Ecuador to become full members

  

  Mercosur plans to begin negotiations with associate members Bolivia and Ecuador to make them full members, said Brazilian Foreign Affairs minister Antonio Patriota during Wednesday’s presidential summit in Paraguay.