Politics

• Tuesday, March 11th 2014 - 06:44 UTC

  Argentina with no serious economic problems, “just complexities and challenges”

  

  Economy Minister Axel Kicillof argued that Argentina does not have serious economic problems, but rather “complexities, difficulties and challenges,” and accused economists and dissident media outlets of orchestrating a campaign to generate an “end of the world” feeling among members of society.

• Tuesday, March 11th 2014 - 06:37 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez invited to visit Europe and establish a closer dialogue

  

  Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman has revealed that the European Union has requested direct talks with Argentina, after a meeting held between President Cristina Fernández and European Commission vice-president Antonio Tajani on the sides of the official inauguration of Michelle Bachelet as Chilean president.

• Tuesday, March 11th 2014 - 06:28 UTC

  Falklands weekly says Argentina's call for dialogue and respect is 'farcical'

  

  The Falkland Islands latest Penguin News editorial picks on the Chagos Islanders controversy surfaced by Ambassador Alicia Castro and laments that Argentina insists that Falkland Islanders 'are a non people entitled to nothing', but on the other hand had it not been “for the Argentine act of aggression that shone a spotlight on our existence as a population, we too might have ended up a people without a place”.

• Tuesday, March 11th 2014 - 06:19 UTC

  UN anti-drugs chief says 'legalization' is not a solution and points to Uruguay

  

  Legalization will not solve the world's narcotics problem, the UN anti-drugs chief said on Monday, indicating disagreement with a decision by Uruguay to allow the growing, sale and smoking of marijuana.

• Tuesday, March 11th 2014 - 06:12 UTC

  Santos coalition retains Congress majority, but Uribe becomes head of the opposition

  

  Colombian voters showed tepid support for peace talks with FARC guerrillas on Sunday by giving the country's president Juan Manuel Santos a majority in Congress, but also electing his conservative rival, ex-president Alvaro Uribe, to the senate.

• Tuesday, March 11th 2014 - 05:52 UTC

  A '99% chance' that Venezuela's Maduro visits Uruguay later this week

  

  Despite strong criticism from the opposition the Uruguayan government said it is prepared to receive Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro on an official visit, and there is a 99% chance that this could occur next Thursday, said foreign minister Luis Almagro.

• Monday, March 10th 2014 - 21:43 UTC

  Rousseff's supporters fit the most with the profile of the average Brazil voter

  

  The average Brazilian voter for this coming October presidential election is between 25 and 34 years old, has on average a high school education and a low monthly family income, equivalent to 618 US dollars. He lives in the Southeast region of the vast country, in a small town with fewer than 50,000 inhabitants.

• Monday, March 10th 2014 - 20:57 UTC

  All South American leaders attending Bachelet's inauguration on Tuesday

  

  More than 20 countries confirmed that representatives from their governments will attend the inauguration of Chilean president-elect Michelle Bachelet on Tuesday, Chilean Senate leader Jorge Pizarro announced. Leaders from Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Belgium, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Haiti, Suriname and El Salvador have confirmed their presence.

• Monday, March 10th 2014 - 20:50 UTC

  Falkland Islands turns out to receive the Commonwealth Games Queen's baton

  

  The Queen’s Baton promoting the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow later this year received a hearty welcome in the Falkland Islands, as residents grouped on the Stanley public jetty at 6.30pm on Thursday 27 February when it was hurtled to Stanley from HMS Clyde.

• Monday, March 10th 2014 - 20:15 UTC

  Commonwealth Day message underlines “team” spirit ahead of Glasgow Games

  

  The following is Queen Elizabeth II message on Commonwealth Day, 10 March. - In July this year, the opening of the 20th Commonwealth Games will be marked by the arrival in Glasgow of the baton that started its journey from Buckingham Palace five months ago.