Politics

• Tuesday, August 3rd 2010 - 00:12 UTC

  Argentina puts off plans to float its first international bond since 2001

  

  Argentina is drawing on central bank profits to meet financing needs, putting off plans to sell its first international bond since 2001 as yields tumble. The central bank’s board on July 29 approved a transfer of 3 billion pesos (762 million USD) from the bank’s 23.5 billion pesos in 2009 profits to the government, following a 1.5 billion peso transfer in February, spokesman Fernando Meanos said.

• Monday, August 2nd 2010 - 06:05 UTC

  Argentine farmers and government exchange strong accusations

  

  The head of the Argentine Rural Society (SRA) Hugo Biolcati demanded the government of President Cristina Kirchner “to leave pride aside” and said that they “should open a window of the intolerance wall” because “we are a country thrashed with corruption, exclusion and poverty”.

• Monday, August 2nd 2010 - 06:02 UTC

  Santos security for his swearing-in ceremony: 380.000 police and military

  

  An estimated 160.000 Colombian law enforcement agents will reinforce security for when president-elect Juan Manuel Santos takes office next August 7, said General Orlando Paez Baron, head of the Colombian Police’s Citizens Security´.

• Monday, August 2nd 2010 - 05:55 UTC

  Global pact banning cluster munitions comes into force

  

  United Nations officials have expressed their delight at Sunday’s entry into force of the international convention banning the manufacture, use and stockpiling of cluster munitions, calling it a “major advance for the global disarmament and humanitarian agendas.”

• Monday, August 2nd 2010 - 05:52 UTC

  More Cubans to become self-employed or allowed to set up small business

  

  Cuban President Raul Castro is not planning to make large-scale market reforms to revive the communist island's struggling economy. But Mr Castro said the role of the state would be reduced in some areas, with more workers allowed to be self-employed or to set up small businesses.

• Monday, August 2nd 2010 - 05:50 UTC

  Mexico recognizes Honduras; OAS could re-consider the issue mid August

  

  Mexico announced this weekend that it was normalizing diplomatic relations with Honduras given the “significant advances” achieved in addressing the consequences of last year’s coup.

• Sunday, August 1st 2010 - 23:49 UTC

  Venezuela/Colombia conflict features high in Mercosur summit agenda

  

  The controversy between Venezuela and Colombia is to mark the rhythm of political conversations during the Mercosur Summit, to be held on August 2 and 3 in the Argentine city of San Juan city in San Juan province.

• Sunday, August 1st 2010 - 23:46 UTC

  Lula da Silva/Mrs. Kirchner bilateral meeting following the summit

  

  Once the Mercosur summit is over, on Tuesday afternoon, the presidents of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, and of Brazil, Lula da Silva, are to hold a meeting in San Juan to analyse bilateral relations, said Foreign Affairs minister Hector Timerman.

• Sunday, August 1st 2010 - 23:42 UTC

  Chavez tones down: ‘supreme objective’ is to stop Uribe’s ‘war-craze’

  

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez reaffirmed that his government's “supreme objective” is to “stop the war-craze” of out-going Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, and he assured the “dilemma” of the bilateral crisis is “between words and missiles.”

• Sunday, August 1st 2010 - 23:32 UTC

  Trade accord with Egypt and Customs code main issues of Mercosur summit

  

  A trade agreement with Egypt and the approval of a much-delayed customs code are two of the highlights of the Mercosur leaders Tuesday meeting in Argentina for one of the two annual summits.