International

• Tuesday, April 24th 2012 - 01:09 UTC

  Setback for Spain: EU confirms trade talks with Mercosur, including Argentina

  

  A member of the European Union assured it is not possible to negotiate an agreement between the EU and Mercosur without Argentina, as the Spanish Government planned after the country’s decision to expropriate YPF.

• Tuesday, April 24th 2012 - 00:52 UTC

  Spain back in recession and already high unemployment expected to increase

  

  Spain's jobs-scarce economy plunged back into recession in the first quarter of 2012 as employment slumped even further, the Bank of Spain said on Monday. Barely two years after emerging from the last downturn Spain slid into recession again with two consecutive quarters of economic contraction the central bank said in a report.

• Tuesday, April 24th 2012 - 00:48 UTC

  Extreme right-wing National Front kingmaker of next French president

  

  French President Nicolas Sarkozy appealed directly to far right voters on Monday with pledges to get tough on immigration and security, after a record showing in a first round election by the National Front made them potential kingmakers.

• Monday, April 23rd 2012 - 09:40 UTC

  IMF governing panel calls for more action from Euro zone to prevent recession

  

  Europe was pressed by other world powers to take strong measures to fix its debt-heavy economy and restore growth to a level that would lift the cloud hanging over the fragile global recovery.

• Monday, April 23rd 2012 - 09:28 UTC

  Washington Post suggests replacing Argentina with Chile at the G20

  

  As has happened with other leading world opinion makers such as the Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal, that have condemned the seizure by the administration of President Cristina Fernandez of a majority share in the Spanish Repsol owned YPF, The Washington Post has also been extremely critical of the Argentine leader.

• Monday, April 23rd 2012 - 09:21 UTC

  Brazil helped Soviet support operation for Argentina during the Falklands conflict

  

  Brazil collaborated during the 1982 Falkland Islands conflict in an operation mounted by the Soviets to supply Argentina with spares, arms, munitions and other requirements according to the Rio do Janeiro newspaper O’Globo based on disclosed documents from the National Security Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• Monday, April 23rd 2012 - 09:16 UTC

  Hollande wins first round in France and leads comfortably for the run-off

  

  French President Nicolas Sarkozy faces an uphill struggle in the second round of the presidential election, after coming second in Sunday's first vote. He won only 27.1% of the vote, while his socialist rival Francois Hollande took 28.6%, the first time a sitting president has lost in first round. Third-place Marine Le Pen took the largest share of the vote her far-right National Front has ever won with 18.1%.

• Sunday, April 22nd 2012 - 23:06 UTC

  G77 plus China present Argentina with the Malvinas statement denied by the Americas Summit

  

  Representatives from the Group of 77 plus China meeting in Doha, Qatar approved a statement calling on the UK to resume negotiations with Argentina regarding the sovereignty of the Malvinas question, according to a release from the Argentine Foreign Ministry.

• Sunday, April 22nd 2012 - 23:01 UTC

  Argentine seizure of YPF will be addressed at the June G20 meeting in Mexico

  

  The Argentine government decision to nationalize Spain’s Repsol owned YPF will be discussed in June in Los Cabos, Mexico, during the G-20 summit.

• Saturday, April 21st 2012 - 07:36 UTC

  Fitch warns Argentina on “growing diplomatic isolation” and “investment shortages”

  

  In an article posted on the Fitch Wire credit market commentary page the rating agency slammed Argentina for its government’s decision to seize a majority stake in YPF from Spain’s Repsol as announced by President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner on Monday.