Politics

• Wednesday, December 30th 2009 - 15:08 UTC

  Ushuaia hosts the first same-sex marriage in Latinamerica

  

  Less than one month after a Buenos Aires court derailed the marriage of Alex Freyre and Jose Maria di Bello, the couple wed this week at the southern tip of Argentina, making it the first same-sex marriage in Latin America.
  “As a couple, we dreamed of marrying for a long time,” Freyre told the state-run Telam news agency.

• Wednesday, December 30th 2009 - 09:52 UTC

  Obama: “a systemic failure” by US intelligence which is “totally unacceptable”

  

  A “systemic failure” by US intelligence allowed the alleged terrorist behind the Christmas Day airliner bomb plot to board the aircraft despite warnings about his extremist views, US President Barack Obama said on Tuesday.

• Tuesday, December 29th 2009 - 12:13 UTC

  China poised to become world’s second largest economy in 2010

  

  China is expected to become in 2010 the world’s second largest economy displacing Japan according to economic forecasts from Beijing’s Statistics Office and reported in the China Daily.

• Tuesday, December 29th 2009 - 12:12 UTC

  First signs Beijing is reassessing bank loans and interest rates

  

  China admitted fears about increasing inflation, resulting from the strong stimuli program, and also cautioned that Beijing will not yield to foreign pressures to let the Yuan appreciate.

• Tuesday, December 29th 2009 - 12:09 UTC

  More testimonies incriminate Argentine officers in Malvinas war abuses

  

  Over 150 testimonies, covering 79 cases and relating to torture and human rights abuses allegedly committed by Argentine military officers against conscripts, during the 1982 Falklands/Malvinas war, are under investigation by Argentine federal judge Liliana Herraz, reports the official news agency Telam.

• Tuesday, December 29th 2009 - 08:38 UTC

  Argentina begun enforcing “reciprocity tax” in Ezeiza airport

  

  All foreign visitors arriving in Argentina’s international airport of Ezeiza and who live in countries that charge the Argentines before they enter, will have to pay a reciprocity tax.

• Tuesday, December 29th 2009 - 07:26 UTC

  Uruguayan organic beef at Shanghai’s world expo next year

  

  Uruguayan organic beef directly from the country’s natural pastures will be available at a restaurant catered by Uruguayans at the Shanghai World Expo next year.

• Tuesday, December 29th 2009 - 07:14 UTC

  Korea wins 40 billion USD mega-project to build nuclear plants in UAE

  

  A South Korean consortium has been awarded a contract worth an estimated 40 billion US dollars to build four nuclear power plants in the United Arab Emirates. The group, led by the Korea Electric Power Corp (Kepco), beat bids from a US-Japanese group and a French firm.

• Monday, December 28th 2009 - 12:49 UTC

  Spanish bank forecasts strong recovery of Uruguayan economy in 2010

  

  Spanish bank BBVA anticipates a strong recovery of the Uruguayan economy next year with one of the highest growth rates in the region and discards “any turbulences or surprises with the new government, it’s going to be continuation of current policies”.

• Monday, December 28th 2009 - 12:44 UTC

  Polls have Governor Serra leading comfortably in Brazilian presidential race

  

  The opposition Social democrat governor of Sao Paulo, Jose Serra, remains as the clear leader to win next year’s Brazilian presidential election, according to the latest public poll released by the top selling magazine Istoé.