Politics

Tuesday, May 10th 2011 - 10:17 UTC
S&P downgrades Greek debt as junk; “haircut” a growing possibility

Standard and Poor's cut Greece's credit rating further into junk territory, reflecting growing doubts that the Euro zone's most fragile economy can manage its debt without imposing losses on private bondholders.
Tuesday, May 10th 2011 - 10:16 UTC
President Cristina Kirchner expected to resume activities Tuesday

Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner surprised her closest staff as she decided to extend her weekend trip and stay in the family’s residence at El Calafate, Santa Cruz at least for Monday, thus postponing all activities scheduled for the beginning of the week.
Tuesday, May 10th 2011 - 09:55 UTC
Brazil considering leasing farm land to foreigners to circumvent sales restrictions

Brazil may start leasing farm land to foreigners to find a way around new legal restrictions on land sales and attract more foreign investment, the agriculture minister said.
Tuesday, May 10th 2011 - 09:25 UTC
President Correa’s victory margin in controversial referendum is narrowing

Ecuador's President Rafael Correa victory margin in Saturday’s ten question referendum on planned media, banking and judicial reforms has narrowed dramatically according to the latest figures released by the National Electoral Council.
Monday, May 9th 2011 - 19:12 UTC
Australia submits Japan’s Antarctic whaling program to the International Court

The Australian government filed a written submission at the International Court of Justice in Netherlands calling for an end to Japan's Antarctic whaling program on the grounds that it breaches the international ban on commercial whaling. Australia made the official presentation of its case Monday at the ICJ.
Monday, May 9th 2011 - 19:09 UTC
Brazil plans to send thousands of students to learn abroad on scholarships

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said that Brazil is the seventh economy in the world and announced that the government is to finance scholarships abroad. “We are the world’s seventh economy and this is due to the effort and sweat of those who made this country grow,” she claimed.
Monday, May 9th 2011 - 18:52 UTC
Cuban government plans to allow residents to travel abroad as tourists

The Cuban government said Monday that it plans to study ways to allow residents of the island to travel abroad as tourists, suggesting it will ease the bureaucratic hurdles and outright restrictions that prevent many residents from leaving.
Monday, May 9th 2011 - 06:40 UTC
Menem and former beauty queen are formally divorced

Former Argentine president Carlos Menem (1989/1999) and Chilean ex Miss Universe and CNN television presenter Cecilia Bolocco were formally divorced by a Buenos Aires court last week.
Monday, May 9th 2011 - 05:57 UTC
Second body recovered from Air France mid Atlantic wreckage

French police said a second body has been removed from the underwater wreckage of the Air France flight that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean nearly two years ago. A remote-controlled submarine raised a body that was still strapped into an airline seat some 3,900 metres to the water's surface Friday.
Monday, May 9th 2011 - 05:52 UTC
‘Informal’ talks with Spain to address Bay of Gibraltar incidents and Trilateral Forum

Gibraltar’s Chief Minister met ‘informally’ with President Rodriguez Zapatero’s top Moncloa official Bernardino Leon to seek ways of getting the tripartite (UK, Spain, Gibraltar) process back on its feet.