International

• Wednesday, December 5th 2012 - 05:26 UTC

  EU and Mercosur to resume free trade talks at two events next January

  

  The European Union and Mercosur will resume talks on a free trade agreement during a coming summit in Brazil and later at a meeting in Santiago de Chile, both in January, according to the EU chief delegate in Brazil, Ana Paula Zacarias.

• Wednesday, December 5th 2012 - 05:18 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez calls for regional litigation mechanisms and blasts international bodies as ‘predators’

  

  Argentine President Cristina Fernandez criticized international organizations which she described as ‘predators’ and called for the region to create its own mechanisms to settle litigations among South American countries.

• Wednesday, December 5th 2012 - 05:15 UTC

  Correa defends close links with Iran and downplays the AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires

  

  Ecuadorean president Rafael Correa triggered a serious controversy in Argentina when he defended close links with Iran and downplayed Teheran’s alleged role in the 1994 attack on the AMIA Jewish institution in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people and left hundreds injured.

• Wednesday, December 5th 2012 - 05:08 UTC

  Human rights commission demands urgent investigation into killing of Paraguayan peasant leader

  

  The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) condemns the murder in Paraguay of human rights defender Vidal Vega, leader of the Campesinos sin Tierra movement (Landless Campesinos) and president of the Committee of Relatives of Victims of the Curuguaty Massacre and urges the State of Paraguay to investigate and clear up these crimes, and punish those who perpetrated and masterminded them.

• Wednesday, December 5th 2012 - 00:07 UTC

  US court rules in favour of Argentina: denies security deposit requested by hedge funds

  

  US appeals court refused to order Argentina to post a security deposit of at least 250 million dollars while it seeks to overturn a lower court ruling that orders it to pay holdout investors 1.33 billion.

• Tuesday, December 4th 2012 - 20:36 UTC

  Gibraltar’s Picardo meets UK minister to discuss controversial Spanish legislation

  

  Gibraltar Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo held a meeting on Monday with UK Minister for Europe David Lidington in which they discussed their concerns over Spain’s purporting to pass legislation banning land reclamation and the offshore storage of fuel in Gibraltar waters.

• Tuesday, December 4th 2012 - 19:47 UTC

  Aberdeen oil firm secures exploration licences on Iceland continental shelf

  

  Aberdeen oil firm Faroe Petroleum has secured provisional exploration licences in the Dreki area on the Icelandic Continental Shelf. The company said the licences were “extensive”, encompassing seven blocks located inside the Arctic Circle to the north east of Iceland.

• Tuesday, December 4th 2012 - 19:31 UTC

  Falklands’ lawmakers at BOT meeting with UK ministers in London

  

  The Joint Ministerial Council met for the first time on Tuesday bringing together political leaders from the Overseas Territories and UK Ministers to work together on several issues including strengthening economies and the environment.The Falklands government is represented by members of the Legislative Assembly Jan Cheek and Sharon Halford.

• Tuesday, December 4th 2012 - 19:26 UTC

  Bill to end British throne discrimination against women and Roman Catholics

  

  All Commonwealth realms have agreed to press ahead with a bill ending discrimination against women in the succession to the British throne. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said the government would now introduce the Succession to the Crown Bill in the House of Commons as soon as possible.It means the first child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will become monarch, whether a boy or a girl.

• Tuesday, December 4th 2012 - 18:42 UTC

  Spain’s jobless almost 5 million and no prospects of a rebound in near future

  

  Spain's jobless grew to a new record in November, official data showed Tuesday. The number of people registered as unemployed grew by 74.296 or 1.5% to 4.91 million in November from the previous month, the Labour Ministry said on Tuesday.