Politics

• Friday, November 12th 2010 - 18:01 UTC

  Europe ratifies support for Ireland’s budget policy and sovereign debt

  

  Irish Finance minister Brian Lenihan has welcomed a statement of support over Ireland's debts from Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Spain. The five countries attending the G20 summit in South Korea said that bondholders would not be forced to share the pain of the current debt crisis.

• Friday, November 12th 2010 - 17:29 UTC

  G20 agrees on “indicative guidelines” for imbalances and hopes for the best

  

  Leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) member nations meeting in Korea reached a vague compromise Friday on currency and trade issues, calling for a workable resolution for the next G20 summit in France, slated for November next year.

• Friday, November 12th 2010 - 15:43 UTC

  Inflation or no inflation: that is the question for the Argentine government

  

  Fissures inside the Argentine cabinet are surfacing and refer to one of the most irritating issues for the administration of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner: inflation or no inflation.

• Friday, November 12th 2010 - 14:12 UTC

  Argentina “is a country cut in two”, cautions Uruguayan president

  

  Uruguayan president Jose Mujica was critical of Argentina’s economic policies and of the recent organization for the funeral of former president Nestor Kirchner. He also admitted it would be “difficult” to reach a definitive agreement with Argentina regarding the long standing UPM-Botnia pulp mill conflict.

• Friday, November 12th 2010 - 13:21 UTC

  Colombian Senate approves Unasur founding charter

  

  Ecuadorean Foreign Affairs minister Ricardo Patiño hailed the approval by the Colombian Senate of the Union of South American Nations, Unasur, charter which leaves the group one short of its legal constitution. The Uruguayan parliament is expected to follow suit in coming days.

• Friday, November 12th 2010 - 05:10 UTC

  G-20 drafts a “standstill” compromise declaration to avoid protectionism

  

  Leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) member nations meeting in Korea are expected to reach a compromise Friday on trade and currency issues that have so far marred the spirit of the global gathering, in a bid to make headway in the G20 process and keep the two-year-old global policy forum afloat.

• Friday, November 12th 2010 - 00:44 UTC

  Two-minute silence marked Remembrance Day in United Kingdom

  

  Millions of people across the UK held a two-minute silence at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month to mark Remembrance Day, or Armistice Day.

• Thursday, November 11th 2010 - 22:04 UTC

  Latin American leaders at G-20 call for responsibility from rich countries

  

  Leaders from Brazil, Mexico and Argentina in the framework of the G-20 summit in Korea called on rich countries for a commitment to end the “currencies war” and ensure balanced growth out of the current crisis.

• Thursday, November 11th 2010 - 21:35 UTC

  Former FARC hostage claims Colombia treats her “as a criminal, not a victim”

  

  Ingrid Betancourt, a former Colombian presidential candidate who was held captive by the FARC guerrilla for six years, accuses Colombia of treating her “worse than a criminal” since she was rescued in 2008, according to reports in the Argentine press.

• Thursday, November 11th 2010 - 21:07 UTC

  “Scandinavian taxes, Central American services” complains Uruguayan president

  

  Uruguay’s president Jose Mujica admitted his frustration in ruling the South American democracy because between the power of the unions and the huge state bureaucracy it virtually “impedes you from getting anything done”.