Politics

• Saturday, March 27th 2010 - 02:51 UTC

  Lula da Silva celebrates 130 anniversary of Arab immigration to Brazil

  

  Just a week after his latest trip to the Middle East, Brazilian president Lula da Silva was honoured March 25th by the Arab community at the Mount Lebanon Club, in the city of São Paulo. The event, which marks the 130th anniversary of Arab immigration in Brazil, was organized by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce.

• Friday, March 26th 2010 - 22:01 UTC

  Argentine top union leader back-peddles in inflation controversy

  

  “Inflation in a growing country is good” said Hugo Moyano Argentina’s leader of the powerful labour unions confederation, CGT, a day after having openly complained that “inflation in Argentina is a fact, and nobody can deny it’s a reality”.

• Friday, March 26th 2010 - 21:40 UTC

  Falklands deployed HMS York celebrates 25 years at sea

  

  HMS York, the Portsmouth-based Type 42 destroyer and currently patrolling the Falkland Islands as part of her South Atlantic deployment is celebrating her 25 years at sea. She was accepted into service on March 1985.

• Friday, March 26th 2010 - 21:37 UTC

  Chavez adds 3 days to Easter holiday (completing a week) to save energy

  

  President Hugo Chavez has added three days to Venezuela's Easter holiday to deal with a growing energy crisis. The move which will close government and public offices means most Venezuelans will have a seven-day break starting on 1 April.

• Friday, March 26th 2010 - 04:27 UTC

  Brazil ready to raise rates next April following strong rebound

  

  Brazil's central bank policy-makers said on Thursday they are ready to raise rates next month to curb inflation pressure as jobs data highlighted the strength of the country's economic rebound.

• Friday, March 26th 2010 - 04:23 UTC

  Kirchner key ally says that inflation in Argentina can’t be denied, “it’s reality”

  

  Argentina’s main union leader and a close political ally of President Cristina Kirchner, Hugo Moyano said that “inflation in Argentina is a fact, and nobody can deny it’s a reality”. His words follow previous statement from Economy minister Amado Boudou who admitted “prices’ tension but “not necessarily inflation”

• Friday, March 26th 2010 - 04:18 UTC

  Brazil/Argentina hold new round of talks to facilitate bilateral trade

  

  Mercosur main country members, Argentina and Brazil begun on Thursday a two-day round of bilateral trade talks in Brazil to discuss basically whether to continue or not with the non-automatic licenses both countries hold.

• Friday, March 26th 2010 - 01:53 UTC

  Euro zone agrees € 22 billion ‘safety net’ for Greece including the IMF

  

  Sixteen Euro zone countries have backed a financing plan to help debt-laden Greece, which will include IMF money. The safety net would total up to 22 billion Euros and would apply only if market lending to Greece dried up.

• Friday, March 26th 2010 - 00:46 UTC

  Bolivia: not the moment to pressure Chile for ocean access

  

  Bolivian President Evo Morales, along with the Bolivian Army and Navy, celebrated Sea Day this week, an annual holiday mourning Bolivia’s loss of ocean access to Chile following the Pacific War 131 years ago.

• Friday, March 26th 2010 - 00:43 UTC

  Former KGB agent buys The Independent and Independent on Sunday for £ 1

  

  Former KGB agent and London’s Evening Standard owner Alexander Lebedev is buying The Independent and Independent on Sunday for £1, it has been confirmed. The Russian oligarch has snapped up the titles for the same price as a single copy of The Independent.