Politics

• Wednesday, February 19th 2014 - 04:58 UTC

  Santos sacks Colombian top brass following exposure of corruption ring

  

  President Juan Manuel Santos announced on Tuesday a major overhaul of Colombia's armed forces high command following revelations of corruption in military procurement.

• Wednesday, February 19th 2014 - 04:48 UTC

  Kirchnerite picket leader tells Maduro he should have Lopez shot for being a traitor and CIA agent

  

  An Argentine picket leader closely aligned with the administration of President Cristina Fernandez openly supported the Venezuelan government of president Nicolas Maduro and called for the opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez to be sentenced to a firing squad.

• Wednesday, February 19th 2014 - 04:44 UTC

  Fed adopts tighter new rules for foreign banks to shield US taxpayers

  

  The US Federal Reserve adopted tight new rules for foreign banks to shield the US taxpayer from costly bailouts, ceding only minor concessions despite pressure from abroad to weaken the rule.

• Wednesday, February 19th 2014 - 04:41 UTC

  Analyst Snowden elected as students' delegate at the University of Glasgow

  

  Former NSA analyst Edward Snowden was elected as the students delegate in the Scottish University of Glasgow.

• Tuesday, February 18th 2014 - 21:33 UTC

  Mujica exposed 'to contempt of justice' for refusing to pay Judiciary branch budget increase

  

  The Uruguayan Judiciary branch warned President Jose Mujica that he is in contempt of justice for ignoring a budget bill that contemplates salary increases for judges and other members of independent government bodies.

• Tuesday, February 18th 2014 - 20:50 UTC

  Drug-trafficking controversy in Argentina involves several ministers

  

  As the debate over drug-trafficking in Argentina heats up, a leading official from the government of President Cristina Fernandez Security has said he supports Uruguay’s decriminalizing model that recently legalized the growing, sale and smoking of marijuana.

• Tuesday, February 18th 2014 - 20:39 UTC

  Spain battles Sub-Saharan migrants who managed to break into Melilla

  

  About 150 sub-Saharan migrants managed to enter Spain’s north African enclave of Melilla on Monday after a group of 250 stormed a barbed-wire border fence, the Spanish Interior Ministry said. Spanish media showed video of those who got over the fence running down the streets of Melilla shouting “Barca, Barca!” as they headed toward a detention centre.

• Tuesday, February 18th 2014 - 20:30 UTC

  Scotland independence leads to debate on the pound and EU membership

  

  Separatist leader Alex Salmond insisted that Scotland would keep the pound if it left the UK and accused British politicians of bluffing by ruling out a currency union in a campaign of fear that would provoke a backlash from Scots.

• Tuesday, February 18th 2014 - 20:25 UTC

  In the midst of a huge turnout, Venezuelan opposition leader hands himself to security forces

  

  Hard-line opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez has handed himself over to Venezuelan security forces answering an arrest warrant placed on the figure following last week's fatal protests against the regime of President Nicolas Maduro. The government formally accused Lopez of instigating the protests and conspiring for a right-wing coup.

• Tuesday, February 18th 2014 - 08:41 UTC

  Brazilian industry wants to change Mercosur rules and demands an urgent trade accord with the EU

  

  Brazil's National Confederation of Industries, CNI, supports a review of Mercosur rules such as the current impediment for member countries to negotiate trade agreements with third countries, and fervently backs an urgent full trade and cooperation agreement with the European Union.