Stories for April 2013

Friday, April 12th 2013 - 00:34 UTC
The Iron Lady and I!

Mercopress correspondent Harold Briley knew Margaret Thatcher well, here reminiscing on fifty years of reporting her activities for half a century as a BBC Political, Latin America. Defence and East Europe Correspondent.
Thursday, April 11th 2013 - 18:25 UTC
Maradona joins the Venezuelan campaign in support of Chavism and Maduro

Venezuelan incumbent presidential candidate Nicolas Maduro’s closing campaign rally will have a special guest on Thursday with football legend Argentine Diego Maradona giving a celebrity boost to the colourful presidential elections that will test Hugo Chavez’s populist legacy.
Thursday, April 11th 2013 - 18:18 UTC
Controversy over the cost of the funeral; William Hague to the rescue

The cost of Lady Thatcher’s funeral next Wednesday will be revealed afterwards, but the Daily Mirror has estimated it could be as high as £10m. The taxpayer is expected to foot most of the bill, with the Thatcher family agreeing to make an unspecified contribution.
Foreign Secretary Hague said Britain could “afford” to cover some of the costs.
Thursday, April 11th 2013 - 18:03 UTC
Details of Lady Thatcher’s funeral; Cristina Fernandez not in the invite list

Britain has decided not to invite Argentine President Cristina Kirchner to the funeral of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Downing Street said on Thursday. The decision follows on a special request from the Thatcher family.However Ambassdor Alicia Castro will be invited since according to diplomatic protocol Britain has normal relations with the UK, and it is a state to state issue.
Thursday, April 11th 2013 - 15:26 UTC
Crucially different from Hong Kong

By Steve Tsang (*) - Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher fought a war with Argentina to defend the Falklands, but she negotiated with China over the future of Hong Kong. Should the apparent success of British diplomacy in securing an acceptable future of Hong Kong be a shining example for a similar solution for the Falklands?
Thursday, April 11th 2013 - 15:17 UTC
Gibraltar represents a road map

By Jose C. Moya (*) - The recent referendum’s near unanimous support for British rule seems to leave little space for negotiations. The passing of Thatcher -- who was seen as a liberator by most Islanders -- will, if anything, harden their position by reviving memories of the war. And the position of the Argentine population is equally hard, if the recent revival and political use of the issue by the government of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is any indication.
Thursday, April 11th 2013 - 07:37 UTC
Cooperate and move on

By Fabian Bosoer and Federico Finchelstein (*) - In Argentina, the passing of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher brings memories of a seemingly irresoluble conflict. The conflict stands as a metaphor of a larger history of global misunderstandings.
Thursday, April 11th 2013 - 07:31 UTC
Confidence behind the Falklands

By Klaus Dodds (*) - Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s death does not represent an opportunity to resolve the long-standing sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands, or Islas Malvinas. If anything it is a reminder of how entrenched her legacy is to this particular aspect of British foreign and security policy.
Thursday, April 11th 2013 - 07:22 UTC
Chilean court suspends construction of world’s biggest gold mine in the Andes

A Chilean court has suspended construction of what would be one of the world's biggest gold mines on Wednesday, accepting a complaint filed by indigenous groups on environmental grounds.
Thursday, April 11th 2013 - 07:12 UTC
Margaret Thatcher, an Iron legacy for Latin America

By Rafael Rincon - The following piece tries to explain how Lady Thatcher was seen in Latin America and the reactions her death has triggered in the region. ‘An Iron legacy’ was written by Chilean commentator Rafael Rincon, an expert in international relations and strategy and also linked to the oil industry.