Politics

• Monday, July 28th 2014 - 20:21 UTC

  First woman commander of a Royal Navy warship removed for alleged breach of social conduct code

  

  The first female commander of a major Royal Navy warship is understood to have left her vessel after allegations of an affair with one of her officers. Cdr Sarah West, 42, was coming to the end of a seven-month deployment in the Atlantic on board the Type 23 frigate HMS Portland.

• Monday, July 28th 2014 - 08:09 UTC

  Strong speech from Cristina Fernandez expected at Mercosur summit in Caracas

  

  Argentine President Cristina Fernandez will attend this Tuesday the leaders' summit of Mercosur in Caracas, Venezuela. The president will travel to Caracas in order to participate in a congress originally scheduled for December 17, but which suffered several postponements.

• Monday, July 28th 2014 - 07:56 UTC

  Argentine farmers and government again clash over the 'preyed-upon decade”

  

  Argentine Agriculture Minister Carlos Casamiquela and Federal Planning chief Julio De Vido rebuffed the criticism of the head of the Argentine Rural Society (SRA), Luis Etchevehere, who at the opening of the Palermo livestock show accused the government of President Cristina Fernandez of being “ignorant and arrogant”.

• Monday, July 28th 2014 - 07:52 UTC

  The New York Times calls for legalizing marihuana: “Repeal prohibition again”

  

  The New York Times called for the legalization of marijuana, in a bold editorial comparing the federal ban on cannabis to Prohibition. The prestigious publication said pot laws disproportionately impact young black men and that addiction and dependence are “relatively minor problems” -- especially when compared with alcohol and tobacco.

• Monday, July 28th 2014 - 07:43 UTC

  Brazilian Jewish community apologizes to President Rousseff's administration

  

  Brazil’s Jewish community apologized to the administration of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff for statements by the spokesman of Israel’s foreign ministry after Brazil recalled its envoy over the Gaza conflict.

• Monday, July 28th 2014 - 07:34 UTC

  Three top banks accused by investor of trying to rig silver prices

  

  Deutsche Bank, HSBC and Bank of Nova Scotia have been accused of attempting to rig the price of silver, in a lawsuit filed in the US. The plaintiff alleges the banks, which set the price of silver each day, abused their position in the market.

• Monday, July 28th 2014 - 07:11 UTC

  Dutch government releases former Venezuelan general retained on DEA request

  

  The Dutch government released a former Venezuelan general who was detained on US drug charges when he arrived in Aruba to serve as his country's consul on the Dutch Caribbean island, sending him home Sunday night and defusing a diplomatic fight with its neighbor.

• Monday, July 28th 2014 - 07:04 UTC

  Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia private sectors unite to combat Mercosur protectionist policies

  

  The private sectors from Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia agreed to form a business lobby, Urupabol, with the purpose of actively combating protectionist policies and other obstacles implemented inside Mercosur, mainly by senior members Argentina and Brazil.

• Saturday, July 26th 2014 - 07:05 UTC

  Mercosur to consider forming an 'economic forum' with ALBA and Petrocaribe

  

  Uruguay's president Jose Mujica will be attending the next Mercosur presidential summit scheduled for Tuesday, 29 July in Caracas, when the creation of an economic forum Mercosur/ALBA/PetroCaribe will for consideration as part of the agenda.

• Saturday, July 26th 2014 - 06:56 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez will analyze holdouts' case during her stay in Rio Gallegos

  

  President Cristina Fernandez left on Friday for Santa Cruz province, where she will stay for the weekend and analyze New York Argentine/holdouts case briefings. The Argentine delegation returned on Friday to Buenos Aires after two meetings with appointed mediator Daniel Pollack in New York, where no resolution was reached.