Stories for 2012

Sunday, April 15th 2012 - 03:41 UTC
The 1964 “Made in Brazil” coup and US contingency support-plan if the plot stalled

Do friendly countries make contingency plans for landing Marines in the big cities of other friendly countries? Even if it’s only to be done in a worthy cause—like supporting a military takeover of a democratically-elected government? During the recent trip to Washington of Brazilian President Dilma Roussief there was a public effort by both sides to “accent the positive” but perhaps there should have been some hard questions behind closed doors.
Saturday, April 14th 2012 - 22:34 UTC
Chavez cancels summit’s plan and flies to Cuba on a 90 day leave for treatment

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez will not attend this weekend's hemispheric summit in Colombia and will instead fly straight to Cuba to continue radiation treatment for cancer, his foreign minister said on Saturday.
Saturday, April 14th 2012 - 22:26 UTC
“Revolutionary Junta” to consolidate “Chavism”, forecasts US expert in Latam affairs

Venezuelan military alarmed by the fast physical deterioration of President Hugo Chavez have worked out an emergency plan to be implemented, including the suspension of basic constitutional rights, at the slightest sign of political agitations, said the former US ambassador before the OAS, Roger Noriega.
Saturday, April 14th 2012 - 20:30 UTC
Cruise sent to collect passengers from stranded M/V Plancius docked in South Georgia

The Panama flagged cruise vessel M/V Ushuaia is expected to arrive early next week in South Georgia to pick up the stranded 114 passengers and crew of a similar small cruise M/V Plancius which after experiencing serious propulsion trouble took shelter at King Edward Point Research Station in Grytviken.
Saturday, April 14th 2012 - 06:48 UTC
YPF dispute: Argentina runs the risk of becoming an ‘international pariah” warns Spain

Spanish officials warned Argentina on Friday that the country risks becoming “an international pariah” if it follows through on its threats to take control of Spanish-owned energy company Repsol's majority stake in its YPF unit.
Saturday, April 14th 2012 - 06:38 UTC
UK team to survey wreck of RFA tanker sunk by WWII German U-boat in St Helena

UK Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) team is heading to the South Atlantic island of St Helena to survey the wreck of a tanker sunk by a German U-boat in World War Two.
Saturday, April 14th 2012 - 06:32 UTC
“Argentina: shame on you”; Editorial from Canada’s Globe and Mail

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has said it is “absurd” for the British government, which has enjoyed sovereignty over the Falkland Islands for 180 years, to maintain its claim from an ocean away “when these Islands are part of our maritime platform.” Applying the logic of Ms. Kirchner, Canada should be stoking international tensions in an effort to annex Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. And perhaps Greenland.
Saturday, April 14th 2012 - 06:21 UTC
Falklands veteran Royal Marine and yomper, feels Falklands are well defended

Retired Royal Marine Brigadier Ian Gardiner, who commanded a Marine company in the 1982 Falklands war, thinks a new Argentine attack on the Islands is unlikely.
Saturday, April 14th 2012 - 06:17 UTC
Ocampo drops out from World Bank bid; gives full support to Nigerian candidate

Former Colombian finance minister Jose Antonio Ocampo ended his bid to become World Bank president on Friday, leaving two candidates in an unprecedented challenge to US control of the global development institution.
Friday, April 13th 2012 - 07:37 UTC
Argentine cabinet and governors insist energy self-sufficiency is the goal

Argentine President Cristina Fernández met with governors members of the Federal Organization of Hydrocarbon-producing States (OFEPHI) on Thursday evening and later in a flurry of television appearances ministers said energy self sufficiency was the target.