Politics

• Monday, December 13th 2010 - 22:48 UTC

  Argentina lifts trade blockade: Paraguay will attend Mercosur summit

  

  Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo will be attending the Mercosur summit this week following on Argentina’s guarantee that the blockade on Paraguayan goods and merchandise imposed by an Argentine maritime union will be lifted, effective Monday.

• Monday, December 13th 2010 - 14:17 UTC

  Ceremonies at London’s Cenotaph and the Falklands to remember Battle Day

  

  The 98th anniversary of the Battle of the Falkland Islands or Battle Day was commemorated at the Cenotaph in the heart of London last Saturday under dull skies, but in good spirits, and with a good turnout.

• Monday, December 13th 2010 - 07:57 UTC

  Buenos Aires Mayor, the big looser in the squatters-neighbours battle

  

  A 130 hectares city park and open space taken over by squatters in Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires, the scene in recent days of violent incidents in which at least four people were killed and scores injured, was calm on Sunday following on the arrival of security forces sent by the federal government.

• Monday, December 13th 2010 - 07:48 UTC

  Montevideo no longer stinky, but what will happen with the radicals?

  

  The dirty, stinking city of Montevideo with over 7.000 tons of several-days uncollected garbage was slowly returning to normal Sunday after the Army was sent out to the streets to clear the mess and fearful municipal workers promised to return to their jobs.

• Monday, December 13th 2010 - 03:01 UTC

  Chavez asks for decree powers ahead of new stronger parliament

  

  Venezuelan opposition leaders fear President Hugo Chavez will use special decree powers he has requested to override an electoral setback that stripped him of a super-majority in parliament.

• Monday, December 13th 2010 - 01:08 UTC

  President Lugo confirms he will not attend the Mercosur summit

  

  Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo confirmed Sunday he would not be participating of the Mercosur summit next December 17, unless there is a quick solution to the blockade of Paraguayan trade by Argentine maritime unions, announced Sunday afternoon Foreign Affaire minister Hector Lacognata.

• Saturday, December 11th 2010 - 06:08 UTC

  Torture a routine practice for authorities across the globe, says ACAT

  

  In Latin America the heritage of decades of military dictatorship means that “recourse to violent methods, notably torture, remains widespread among the security forces”, says a report from the Paris based Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT).-.

• Saturday, December 11th 2010 - 06:01 UTC

  Mercosur summit threatened by Argentine boycott on Paraguayan foreign trade

  

  A Mercosur internal conflict involving Argentina and Paraguay which is conditioning the coming presidential summit in Brazil and has again suspended a vote for Venezuela’s final incorporation to the group, seems to have escalated in the last 24 hours.

• Saturday, December 11th 2010 - 00:34 UTC

  Brazil’s Embraer moves into the defence and security industry

  

  Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer on Friday unveiled a new subsidiary to focus solely on the defence and security industry, in a further move beyond from its core civil aviation business. The company said in a statement its new Embraer Defence and Security unit will be headed by Chief Financial Officer Luiz Carlos Aguiar.

• Saturday, December 11th 2010 - 00:30 UTC

  Barcelona signs £ 125 million commercial shirt-sponsorship deal with Qatar

  

  One of Spain’s two most popular and successful football clubs, Barcelona has signed their first ever commercial shirt sponsorship deal after agreeing a record £125m contract with the Qatar Foundation.