Politics

• Saturday, May 4th 2013 - 09:12 UTC

  Van Rompuy joins chorus of Euro zone policy makers promoting pro-growth measures

  

  European Union governments and institutions must take “immediate action” to promote growth and jobs creation as countries are tired of austerity, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said this week.

• Saturday, May 4th 2013 - 09:03 UTC

  UK minister warns waters row escalation with Spain could damage Gibraltar’s economy

  

  UK Minister for Europe David Lidington has warned that an escalation of tension with Spain in the waters row could damage Gibraltar’s prosperity and wider UK interests and pointed out that the incursions were not “an armed attack or invasion” and that the response to them must be proportionate.

• Saturday, May 4th 2013 - 08:54 UTC

  “Pepe” Grillo protest-vote syndrome emerges in UK local elections and rattles three main parties

  

  Italy’s ‘Pepe’ Grillo protest syndrome emerged in British local elections. The anti-European Union UK Independence Party made sweeping gains in these elections, siphoning support from British Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives in a vote that exposed a threat to his re-election chances in 2015.

• Saturday, May 4th 2013 - 04:18 UTC

  Dollar in Argentina ‘brushes’ 10 Pesos; urgent meeting of Cristina Fernandez economic cabinet

  

  For a third consecutive day the ‘blue’ dollar which trades in Argentina’s informal market established a new record and after having brushed 10 Pesos in earlier trading finally closed Friday at 9.84 (buying price) and 9.88 (selling price) Pesos.

• Friday, May 3rd 2013 - 07:01 UTC

  UN Rapporteur insists in criticizing Argentine ‘politicization’ of the Judiciary

  

  United Nations expert on magistrates and solicitors independence again expressed concern on Thursday about the laws contained in the Argentine government-promoted judicial reform which might lead to the “politicization” of the judiciary branch.

• Friday, May 3rd 2013 - 06:41 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez wins slander case in Rome: she did not go on a shopping spree

  

  President Cristina Fernández said she would like to see “some more justice in Argentina” after referring to a court case she won against an Italian newspaper which in 2008 claimed that while in Rome she went on an extravagant shopping spree: “Hunger and dolce vita in Rome”.

• Friday, May 3rd 2013 - 06:11 UTC

  Obama supports new Mexican drugs security policy to cut down on killings and violence

  

  President Barack Obama gave his blessing to a new security arrangement with Mexican leader Enrique Peña Nieto, in which Mexico will make reducing violence a priority over hunting drug cartel kingpins in the war against organized crime. The two presidents said they also want to step up trade and business ties that have been overshadowed by the battle against drug trafficking.

• Friday, May 3rd 2013 - 06:09 UTC

  Venezuelan opposition formally challenges Maduro’s victory in April’s snap election

  

  The Venezuelan opposition on Thursday challenged the results of last month's presidential poll won by the late Hugo Chavez's successor, further muddying an already messy transition to life without the divisive leader. The formal challenge was done with the Supreme Court, despite allegations the tribunal is loaded with pro-Chavez judges and certain to reject the challenge.

• Friday, May 3rd 2013 - 05:48 UTC

  Falklands: Cristina Fernandez leads ceremony to honour 323 crewmembers from torpedoed ‘General Belgrano’

  

  Argentine president Cristina Fernandez honoured the memory of the 323 crew members from the cruiser “General Belgrano” who lost their lives during the Malvinas war, “today, 31 years ago” and described the British torpedo attack on the vessel as “a criminal and coward action”.

• Friday, May 3rd 2013 - 05:44 UTC

  Malvinas dispute ‘will only end when Argentina has full, definitive possession of the Islands’, insists Puricelli

  

  The Malvinas cause will only come to an end when Argentina has definitive possession of the Islands, said Argentine defence minister Arturo Puricelli during a military ceremony to remember the 31st anniversary of the loss of cruiser ‘General Belgrano”, during the Falklands’ conflict torpedoed on 2 May 1982 by a Royal Navy submersible with the loss of 323 lives.