Politics

• Thursday, February 10th 2011 - 22:53 UTC

  Unasur becomes fully in force March 11, following on Uruguay’s ratification vote

  

  The Uruguayan government officially delivered this week the formal ratification of the UNASUR (Union of South American Nations) founding charter thus turning the political project into juridical reality.

• Thursday, February 10th 2011 - 22:42 UTC

  “Currencies war”, new challenge for EU/Mercosur trade agreement

  

  The European Union Trade Commissioner Karen De Gucht anticipates a full trade agreement with Mercosur will be reached in a “short time” given the negotiations “unusual” speed but also cautioned about new challenges such as currencies over or under appreciation.

• Thursday, February 10th 2011 - 06:55 UTC

  WikiLeaks: US believes former Chilean leader death “to remain a mystery”

  

  An embassy cable published this week by WikiLeaks revealed a 2009 email in which then-U.S ambassador to Chile, Paul Simons, predicted that former President Eduardo Frei Montalva’s controversial 1982 death would never be fully understood. “The tragic recent history of Chile continues to divide its people, and the death of this emblematic President seems destined to remain a mystery.”

• Thursday, February 10th 2011 - 06:26 UTC

  Argentine minister recommends US diplomacy “to hire more competent employees”

  

  Argentina’s Federal Planning Minister Julio De Vido referred to the recently published Wikileaks documents by Spanish newspaper El Pais, and advised the US embassy in Buenos Aires “to hire more competent employees” since performing a “cut-and-paste task from the yellow press is something any idiot can do.”

• Thursday, February 10th 2011 - 01:11 UTC

  US plans 53 billion USD high-speed rail and intercity network investment

  

  United States unveiled a strategy to spend 53 billion US dollars on high-speed rail and intercity network over the next six years. It's a plan that will, according to Vice-president Joe Biden, bring the US closer to giving 80% of Americans access to high-speed rail in the next 25 years.

• Thursday, February 10th 2011 - 00:58 UTC

  South America/Arab countries business summit in Peru next April

  

  The South American/Arab countries III Business Summit will take place April 19 and 20 in Peru confirmed the organizers of the event that was to be held parallel to the suspended South America/Arab leaders’ summit (ASPA) this month in Lima.

• Thursday, February 10th 2011 - 00:50 UTC

  Venezuela’s homicide rate exposes vulnerable flank of President Chavez

  

  Venezuelan authorities say they recorded 48 homicides for every 100,000 inhabitants last year, making it one of the most dangerous places in South America. Venezuela has a population of 28 million and a report for United Nations last year put the homicide rate for South America as a whole around 20 per 100.000 people.

• Wednesday, February 9th 2011 - 23:20 UTC

  Riding on commodities boom, Peruvian exports reached 35 billion USD in 2010

  

  Peruvian exports in 2010 reached 35 billion US dollars, up 30% from 2009, said Foreign Trade and Tourism minister Enrique Ferreyros. He also pointed out in nine years the number of Peruvian companies involved in exporting jumped from 4.086 to 7.200 and markets from 155 to 178 markets.

• 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.