Stories for December 15th 2008
Nicaragua is a “family dictatorship” claims former minister
The Nicaraguan administration of President Daniel Ortega “is not left-leaning or Sandinista or revolutionary, it's imply a family dictatorship”, said Ernesto Cardenal, a Catholic priest and one of the country's most renowned poets.
UK retired military claim further defence budget cuts ahead
Two of Britain's former heads of the military have accused the Government of failing the Armed Forces following a cash-saving review of the defence budget.
Uruguay's dispute with Kirchners becomes regional
Uruguay is considering abandoning the Union of South American Nations, UNASUR in the event Argentina manages to modify the mechanism for the nomination to the chair of the organization, thus imposing its candidate former president Nestor Kirchner, which Uruguay rejects point blank.
Light at the end of corridor for Botnia pickets conflict
A political ally of Argentina's president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner admitted over the weekend that the Botnia pulp mill in Uruguay, and at the heart of ongoing dispute between the neighbouring countries, does not contaminate and called for the liberation of the bridges currently blocked by pickets.
Uruguay ex-guerrilla leader nominated presidential candidate
Uruguay's former guerrilla leader and currently Senator Jose Mujica was chosen by an overwhelming majority as the ruling coalition's presidential candidate for next year's elections, but he will first have to face another challenge from other hopefuls in June.
Botnia Pulp and Fiction: Finnish “mea culpa”
Jussi Pakkasvirta, an expert on the political history of Latin America from Helsinki University, has recently published a wide-ranging study of attitudes towards the Finnish pulp and paper industry's controversial moves into South America.
Record support for Lula da Silva and his administration
The approval rating of Brazilian President Lula da Silva and his administration soared to a record 80.3% and 71.1% during November, the highest for a Brazilian leader and his government since 1998, according to a poll from Instituto Sensus released in Brasilia.
Mercosur unable to agree on double tariff system
Poor start for the Mercosur summit in Salvador Bahía, Brazil. Mercosur member countries have been unable to reach an agreement in one of the main points of the agenda and which has been a stumbling issue for years: elimination of the double tariff on imports from third countries and which are then re-exported inside the block.
Russian flotilla to dock in Cuba, first time since Soviet era
A group of Russian warships is to visit Cuba for the first time since the Soviet era, the Russian navy has said. The visit, scheduled for 19-22 December, will be led by the destroyer Admiral Chabanenko.
Major world banks caught in Madoff's hedge fund con
Some of the world's biggest banks have revealed they are victims of an alleged fraud which has lost 50 billion US dollars. Bernard Madoff, who was arrested on Thursday, has been charged with fraud in what is being described as one of the biggest-ever such cases.
