Politics

• Friday, February 11th 2011 - 06:19 UTC

  Major brawl in Venezuelan congress between pro and anti Chavez lawmakers

  

  Venezuelan lawmakers exchanged punches in parliament on Thursday when a fight erupted between members of President Hugo Chavez's socialist party and rivals, in a sign of the country’s political polarization.

• Friday, February 11th 2011 - 06:10 UTC

  Colombian rebels release hostage but at the same time kidnap two contractors

  

  Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos blasted Thursday the “double moral” of the FARC guerrilla that kidnapped two workers while preparing for the release of several hostages held for years and revealed he was tempted to suspend the liberation operation.

• Friday, February 11th 2011 - 06:06 UTC

  Two more babies die of malnutrition in north Argentina: seven in 40 days

  

  Another two babies died of malnutrition in the Argentine northern province of Salta, totalling seven so far this year. They all belong to indigenous colonies in this case from the Wichi community living under subsistence conditions in non fertile areas of the province.

• Thursday, February 10th 2011 - 23:24 UTC

  Bank of England at a crossroad leaves interest rates on hold at 0.5%

  

  Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has kept UK interest rates on hold at 0.5%, and unveiled no new quantitative easing (QE) measures.

• Thursday, February 10th 2011 - 23:20 UTC

  Easter Island Rapa Niu peoples’ land claims’ turns international

  

  The Inter-American Commission for Human Rights (IACHR), a body within the Organization of American States, has issued Precautionary Measures to protect the Rapa Nui people on Easter Island.

• Thursday, February 10th 2011 - 23:06 UTC

  Japan’s public debt and fiscal deficit “unsustainable” warns IMF

  

  The weight of Japan's public debt, the highest in the world, is unsustainable in the medium and long term warned this week Naoyuki Shinohara, Deputy Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund.

• 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.”