Politics

• Monday, June 22nd 2009 - 12:16 UTC

  Ecuador joins ALBA this week, announced President Chavez

  

  Ecuador together with the Caribbean islands of Saint Vincent and Grenadines and Antigua and Barbuda will be joining the Venezuelan sponsored Bolivarian Alternative of the Americas, ALBA, during a summit this week in Venezuela, announced President Hugo Chavez.

• Monday, June 22nd 2009 - 12:11 UTC

  Chavez calls on the world to “respect” the Iran regime and Islamic revolution

  

  Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez openly supported the Iran regime and called for “respect” for the country and an end to attempts “to erode the strength of the Iranian revolution”.

• Monday, June 22nd 2009 - 12:03 UTC

  Support for Peruvian president plummets to an 18 month low

  

  Peruvian President Alan Garcia's approval rating has fallen to its lowest level in 18 months, hurt by the deadly Amazonia clashes between security forces and indigenous protesters that killed at least 33 people, officially, and over 50 according to Indian sources.

• Monday, June 22nd 2009 - 11:57 UTC

  Flight 447: Brazil identifies 11 of 50 bodies recovered

  

  Officials in Brazil have identified the first 11 of 50 bodies recovered from the Air France Flight 447 disaster in which 228 people died three weeks ago. The bodies were those of 10 Brazilians and one male foreigner, officials said. They gave no further details

• Monday, June 22nd 2009 - 07:59 UTC

  Test for “new US policy”: Chile’s Bachelet meets President Obama

  

  Chilean president Michelle Bachelet begins on Tuesday an official two-day visit to the United States where she will be meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House, members of Congress and the Organization of American States Secretary General.

• Sunday, June 21st 2009 - 11:34 UTC

  A billion people hungry in 2009 because of the economic crisis, says FAO

  

  World hunger is projected to reach a historic high in 2009 with 1.020 million people going hungry every day, according to new estimates published by FAO this week.

• Sunday, June 21st 2009 - 11:28 UTC

  FAO forecasts second-highest record cereals crop for 2009/10

  

  With the second-highest recorded cereals crop expected this year and stocks replenished, the world food supply looks less vulnerable to shocks than it was during last year’s food crisis, FAO said in its Food Outlook report published this month. But some potential dangers remain, it also noted.

• Sunday, June 21st 2009 - 11:19 UTC

  Greenland moves to self-rule and closer to independence

  

  The Arctic island of Greenland is assuming self-rule, in the latest step towards independence from Denmark. The move follows a referendum on greater autonomy in November. It will see Greenland take a greater share of revenues from its natural resources.

• Sunday, June 21st 2009 - 11:14 UTC

  More than 50 British MPs claimed council taxes they did not pay

  

  British Members of Parliament are facing further embarrassment over their expenses as it emerged more than 50 had claimed for council tax they had not paid. Some have raked in thousands of pounds on “phantom” local authority bills, according to the Daily Telegraph.

• Sunday, June 21st 2009 - 11:10 UTC

  UN envoy calls for investigation of deadly clashes in Peruvian Amazonia

  

  A United Nations envoy on indigenous rights called for an impartial and internationally supported committee to investigate the deadly clashes between Peruvian police and Amazonian indigenous protesters that killed, officially, at least 33 people but which could be more than 50.