Politics

• Monday, June 23rd 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Outgoing Paraguayan president resigns to join new Senate

  

  President Nicanor Duarte resigned Monday two months before his term ends, but opposition parties say they will fight the move by Duarte to claim a crucial seat in Paraguay's Senate.

• Monday, June 23rd 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Lula da Silva: inflation is “under control” and on target

  

  Brazilian president Lula da Silva said on Monday that inflation in the country was “under control”, in spite of soaring world food prices and promised measures to further promote the production of grains, meats and milk.

• Sunday, June 22nd 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  EU admits Czechs have become another Irish problem

  European Union leaders have admitted that the Czech Republic may not be able to ratify the Lisbon Treaty, which has already been rejected by the Irish. The declaration from their summit in Brussels notes that the Czech process is on hold due to legal difficulties.

• Sunday, June 22nd 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Spanish media blasts Kirchners “obscure political methods”

  The influential Spanish daily El País in one of its main editorials recently criticized the decisions, speeches and ruling attitude of Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner arguing they are eroding Argentina's economic credibility and the image of the Kirchner couple government.

• Sunday, June 22nd 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  “Return directive” could send 15.000 Uruguayans to jail

  According to the latest figures published by the Spanish government there are 86.601 Uruguayans living in that country (44.314 men and 42.287 women) of which 25.761 have Spanish citizen status. However there are another 10 to 15.000 who are undocumented and therefore could be included in the recently approved EU “return directive”.

• Sunday, June 22nd 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Distension: President C. Kirchner invites farmers “to talk”

  In what seems a first positive approach Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner invited farmers' leaders to meet Monday afternoon in Government house (Casa Rosada) to “talk about all issues” related to the 103 day stand-off that began as a simple protest against taxes and became has turned into full blown political crisis.

• Saturday, June 21st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Mercosur blasts EU immigrants “return directive”

  Mercosur and associate members expressed on Friday their strong rejection to the “discriminatory” set of restrictions agreed by the European Union and confirmed by the EU Parliament regarding immigrants in irregular situation

• Friday, June 20th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Gibraltar Minister not returning before “irrelevant” C24

  

  Gibraltar's Chief Minister Peter Caruana 13th appearance before the United Nations General Assembly Special Committee of 24 was his last. In a dramatic turn of events on Wednesday he robustly indicated that it was pointless to keep returning because the Committee of 24 had never acted on Gibraltar's behalf but had always chosen and continued to be silent.

• Friday, June 20th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Venezuela formalizes nationalization of cement industry

  

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's nationalization of three foreign-owned cement businesses took effect on Thursday with the publication of the resolution in the Official Gazette according to the government run Bolivarian News Agency.

• Friday, June 20th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  EU lifts Cuba sanctions to the dismay of U.S.

  The European Union agreed to lift limited sanctions against Cuba, a hotly contested move designed to encourage the country's new government under Raúl Castro to liberalize