Politics

• Tuesday, January 12th 2010 - 03:37 UTC

  Ashton promises “one coherent strategy” for EU foreign policy

  

  The European Union is in a position to assume a “stronger, more credible role in the world,” the nominee for the EU top foreign policy post says. The UK's Catherine Ashton was speaking to Euro MPs, who have started grilling the commissioners-designate on their new roles and qualifications.

• Tuesday, January 12th 2010 - 01:36 UTC

  Crucial debate for the Chilean presidential run-off between Piñera and Frei

  

  Chilean Conservative billionaire businessman Sebastián Piñera and centre-left candidate (and former president) Senator Eduardo Frei face-off this Monday evening in their first and only national debate since the December 13 first-round vote eliminated Communist Party candidate Jorge Arrate and independent candidate Marco Enriquez Ominami (MEO).

• Tuesday, January 12th 2010 - 01:28 UTC

  “Chile’s accession to OECD a major milestone”

  Chile signs up as the 31st member of the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) and its first member in South America on January 11. For Chile, this marks recognition of nearly two decades of democratic reform and sound economic policies. For the OECD, it is a major milestone in its mission to build a stronger, cleaner and fairer global economy.

• Monday, January 11th 2010 - 13:17 UTC

  Vargas Llosa calls for the decriminalizing of drugs’ consumption

  

  Peruvian renowned writer Mario Vargas Llosa proposed “decriminalizing” consumption of drugs as a way to stop the narcotics trade, in a column published in Lima’s most influential daily El Comercio Sunday edition.

• Monday, January 11th 2010 - 13:09 UTC

  Chavez warns Army will take control of businesses that increase prices

  

  Venezuela's President, Hugo Chavez, has said troops will seize control of any business that increases prices in response to the devaluation of its currency.

• Monday, January 11th 2010 - 13:05 UTC

  Argentina says that import licences saved over half a million jobs

  

  Argentina’s Production Ministry has revealed documents indicating that some 542,370 job posts were saved by the application of non-automatic import licences. Some 21,510 jobs were saved by anti-dumping measures, which led to the protection of 563,880 jobs through the prohibition of mass importation of low-cost products.

• Monday, January 11th 2010 - 12:56 UTC

  Brazil’s Human Rights minister threatens to resign over controversial bill

  

  Brazilian Minister of Human Rights Pablo Vanucchi threatened to resign on Sunday if the military are successful in reviewing the bill creating a Truth Commission on the Brazilian dictatorship (1964/1985) which caused internal turmoil in the administration of President Lula da Silva.

• Monday, January 11th 2010 - 12:46 UTC

  China will construct Bolivia’s first satellite; Morales travels to Beijing

  

  Bolivian president Evo Morales will be travelling to China next March to sign an agreement for the construction and launching of the country’s first telecommunications satellite, reported Bolivian government sources on Sunday.

• Monday, January 11th 2010 - 12:41 UTC

  Budget emergency and draconian spending cuts in California

  

  The governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has unveiled deep spending cuts aimed at containing the state's 20 billion US dollars budget deficit. Spending on health, welfare, transport and the environment is to be reduced.

• Monday, January 11th 2010 - 12:33 UTC

  Central bank conflict: Argentina’s institutional soundness at stake

  

  Argentina's government filed an appeal this weekend against a court ruling that blocked its plan to use Central Bank reserves to pay debts and ordered the bank president's reinstatement, the Cabinet chief said.