Politics

• Thursday, March 3rd 2011 - 19:02 UTC

  Bolivian top anti-drugs intelligence advisor jailed in Miami for narcotics smuggling

  

  A top Bolivian security official pled not guilty in a Miami federal court Wednesday on charges of conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the U.S., in a scandal that has rocked the government of Evo Morales and provoked a wide-ranging police crackdown.

• Thursday, March 3rd 2011 - 18:50 UTC

  Food prices increase in February for eighth consecutive month, says FAO report

  

  Global food prices increased for the eighth consecutive month in February, with prices of all commodity groups monitored rising again, except for sugar, FAO said on Thursday. FAO expects a tightening of the global cereal supply and demand balance in 2010/11

• Thursday, March 3rd 2011 - 06:25 UTC

  Latam must prepare for ‘major prices’ fluctuations warn food organizations

  

  Food price volatility has increased in recent months and will remain high for the time being, according to a joint bulletin launched today by ECLAC, FAO and IICA.

• Thursday, March 3rd 2011 - 06:19 UTC

  Fearing overheated economy Brazil raises basic interest rate 50 points to 11.75%

  

  Brazil’s Central bank on Wednesday raised its benchmark overnight rate by a half-point for a second straight meeting to cool inflation that is approaching the upper limit of the government’s target range.

• Thursday, March 3rd 2011 - 06:12 UTC

  Venezuelan president proposes peace commission to mediate in Libyan conflict

  

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez spoke with embattled strongman Moammar Gaddafi and discussed creating a multinational commission to mediate the unrest in Libya, according to an internet message posted Wednesday by a Venezuelan government official.

• Thursday, March 3rd 2011 - 06:06 UTC

  Vargas Llosa is “an enemy of Argentina and all populist governments”

  

  In spite of President Cristina Fernandez instructions to scale down the controversy over the attendance of Literature Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa to Buenos for the opening of the Book Fair, the exchanges continued Wednesday.

• Thursday, March 3rd 2011 - 05:55 UTC

  Argentine has ‘liberated’ 75% of retained import licences says Uruguayan minister

  

  Uruguay’s cabinet meeting spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that Argentina had “liberated” 75% of the import licences that remained delayed and which was one of the main points of the agenda in the recent summit between Uruguayan president Jose Mujica and Argentina’s Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

• Thursday, March 3rd 2011 - 05:46 UTC

  IMF chief praises Uruguay, cautions good times are not for ever

  

  IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Khan praised the management and achievements of the Uruguayan economy and said it was a pleasure to visit a country that does not have major problems resulting from the 2008 global financial crisis, which is a “recurrent issue” of his busy agenda.

• Thursday, March 3rd 2011 - 05:30 UTC

  Velux 5 Oceans in Punta del Este; Van Liew with Le Pingouin wins third consecutive leg

  

  The US skipper Brad Van Liew won his third consecutive leg in the Velux 5 Oceans race on Tuesday evening pulling into Punta del Este, Uruguay, eight days after rounding Cape Horn in his 60-foot Eco 60 Le Pingouin..

• Wednesday, March 2nd 2011 - 17:44 UTC

  New Irish government gauges ‘potential damage’ of Mercosur/EU trade talks

  

  Mercosur negotiations and Ireland’s share of the EU agriculture spending are seen as the main challenging demands for the new Agriculture minister of the Fine Gael-Labour coalition government in Dublin.