Politics

• Thursday, January 2nd 2014 - 18:21 UTC

  Falklands 2014 oil industry major focus: how to develop the Sea Lion discovery

  

  After a busy 2011 and 2012, 2013 was a relatively quiet year for exploration around the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. The various companies involved in the region's nascent oil and gas industry preferred to spend the year focusing on seismic data acquisition campaigns and consolidating some of their assets.

• Thursday, January 2nd 2014 - 18:02 UTC

  Gibraltar visitors in October/November down 40% because of Spanish checks at border

  

  Visitors to Gibraltar during the peak months of October and November have decreased by over 40% from the previous year, statistics reveal. This comes after restrictions were imposed at the border by the Spanish authorities which they say was in response to tobacco smuggling but began immediately after the Government’s decision to lay an artificial reef in July.

• Thursday, January 2nd 2014 - 16:00 UTC

  China starts to build its fourth Antarctica base: more planned

  

  Just days after the Chinese rover Jade Rabbit settled down on the moon, China is setting out to bolster its presence in another remote place: Antarctica. Chinese state media said on Thursday that construction workers are en route to the future site of China’s fourth Antarctic research station, after a pit stop at one of its other bases.

• Thursday, January 2nd 2014 - 15:40 UTC

  Colorado, USA, celebrates the end of marihuana prohibition and opens new chapter

  

  The world's first state-licensed marijuana retailers legally permitted to sell pot for recreational use have opened for business in Colorado with long lines of customers, marking a new chapter in America's drug culture.

• Thursday, January 2nd 2014 - 15:35 UTC

  New Year in Argentina brings: hikes in urban transport and fuel and promises of a capped basket

  

  New Year arrived in Argentina with much needed rainfall relief, but also with a hefty increase in urban transport fares, the same with fuel prices at the pump and the promise of a list of 200 products included in a price agreement with the county’s major supermarkets and retailers.

• Sunday, December 29th 2013 - 08:40 UTC

  Falklands historic events commemorated by Atlantic Patrol HMS Richmond

  

  As part of her Atlantic Patrol Task (South) deployment, HMS Richmond has visited San Carlos Water, the scene of the amphibious landings during the Falklands War of 1982. The site is also the final resting place of HMS Antelope which was tragically lost on 23 May 1982.

• Sunday, December 29th 2013 - 08:30 UTC

  Brazil ups taxes on debit cards and travelers checks to contain outgoing tourism

  

  The Brazilian government said on Friday it will raise a tax on operations with debit cards and travelers checks made abroad, in a move that will raise the country's tax intake by 552 million Reais (234.65m dollars) per year.

• Sunday, December 29th 2013 - 08:24 UTC

  One for the White House: NSA program keeping phone call records is 'lawful'

  

  A federal judge ruled that a National Security Agency program that collects records of millions of Americans' phone calls is lawful, calling it a “counter-punch” to terrorism that does not violate Americans' privacy rights.

• Friday, December 27th 2013 - 05:32 UTC

  Uruguay's new Economy minister pledges continuity of current market friendly policies

  

  Uruguay will continue to consolidate its market friendly policies, pledged incoming Economy minister Mario Bergara, 48. on taking office on Thursday surrounded by President Jose Mujica and Vice president Danilo Astori. He replaced Fernando Lorenzo who was forced to resign following a major scandal involving the failure and shut down of the country's flag air carrier Pluna.

• Friday, December 27th 2013 - 05:28 UTC

  Blackouts continue in Argentina while government keeps threatening power distributors

  

  Blackouts continued in several neighborhoods of Argentina's metropolitan Buenos Aires area while protests increased including pickets in highways, attempts to set on fire power distributors offices or kidnap power companies' officers while the only resource from government has been to blame companies and threaten to take over utilities.