International

• Thursday, February 16th 2012 - 04:47 UTC

  US disregards Argentine claim of UK’s Falklands’ and South Atlantic ‘militarization’

  

  It took a couple of days but finally on Wednesday US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said the US “has no concerns” about the alleged ‘militarization’ of the South Atlantic which was denounced by Argentina last week before the United Nations at three different levels.

• Thursday, February 16th 2012 - 04:32 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez to visit Piñera in Chile March 15 and 16

  

  Argentine President Cristina Fernández will make an official visit to Chile next month, amidst a power struggle as both Argentina and the UK struggle to gather support from the international community in the Falklands/Malvinas Islands controversy.

• Thursday, February 16th 2012 - 04:28 UTC

  French president Sarkozy confirms re-election bid; trails Socialist candidate by 15 points

  

  President Nicolas Sarkozy formally declared his candidacy for a second term on Wednesday seeking to overturn a wide poll lag with promises to get the unemployed back to work and use referendums to consult the French people on reforms.

• Wednesday, February 15th 2012 - 05:50 UTC

  Brazil and Germany committed to achieve the EU/Mercosur trade agreement

  

  Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota and his visiting German counterpart Guido Westerwelle on Monday called for signing a free trade agreement between the European Union and the South American trade bloc Mercosur.

• Wednesday, February 15th 2012 - 05:46 UTC

  UK Defence Select Committee plans to visit the Falklands next month

  

  British lawmakers will visit the Falkland Islands next month in a move that is likely to heighten tensions between Britain and Argentina over the Islands, The Times reported on Wednesday.

• Wednesday, February 15th 2012 - 05:42 UTC

  Cameron rings Chilean president to discuss Falklands and self determination

  

  Chilean president Sebastián Piñera received a surprise phone call at his summer residence on Tuesday afternoon from PM David Cameron who referred to the current Falklands dispute.

• Wednesday, February 15th 2012 - 00:24 UTC

  FIFA warns Argentina football leaders about Falklands’ conflict reference

  

  FIFA has asked Argentina's football leaders to explain reports that their league has been named after a naval ship sunk by British forces during the Falkland Islands conflict 30 years ago.

• Tuesday, February 14th 2012 - 22:19 UTC

  Euro debt crisis: Moody warns France and Britain’s triple-A rating could be next

  

  Rating agency Moody's announced on Tuesday it had downgraded six European nations including Italy, Spain and Portugal, citing growing risks from Europe's debt crisis, and warned it may cut the triple-A ratings of France, Britain and Austria.

• Tuesday, February 14th 2012 - 21:49 UTC

  Argentina confirms it has accepted UN mediation offer for the Malvinas dispute

  

  The Argentine government confirmed on Tuesday through a letter sent by Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly President, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, that Argentina had accepted the mediation offer in order to find a pacific solution with the United Kingdom over the sovereignty of the Malvinas Islands.

• Tuesday, February 14th 2012 - 20:57 UTC

  S&P and Fitch downgrade Spain’s top banks: Santander and BBVA

  

  Banco Santander SA and Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA were among 15 Spain-based financial firms downgraded by Standard & Poor's after the credit-ratings company reduced the nation's grade last month.