Politics

• Tuesday, April 2nd 2013 - 16:30 UTC

  Falkland Islands’ long standing friend, HMS Edinburgh returns to Portsmouth for decommission

  

  Edinburgh, the Royal Navy's last remaining Type 42 destroyer, returned to Portsmouth from her final deployment last week. The 30 year old warship has spent the past 6 months patrolling the Atlantic and over the years has been in several assignments in the Falkland Islands and South Georgia.

• Tuesday, April 2nd 2013 - 05:38 UTC

  Brazil reviewing immigration policy and is looking for “brains and human capital”

  

  Brazil is after “brains and human capital” and a special Strategic Actions Secretariat (SAE) which depends directly from the Executive is working on a strategy to attract selective quality immigration according Ricardo Paes de Barros head of SAE interviewed by the Miami Herald.

• Tuesday, April 2nd 2013 - 02:37 UTC

  Brazil postpones until next year increases in car sales taxes to help the economy

  

  The Brazilian government postponed until next year increases in taxes on the sale of cars and trucks in a bid to stimulate demand for manufactured goods and spur economic growth, announced the Finance Ministry.

• Tuesday, April 2nd 2013 - 02:18 UTC

  Malvinas invasion recalled by President Cristina Fernandez in Puerto Madryn

  

  Argentine president Cristina Fernandez will lead on Tuesday the commemorations of the 31st anniversary of the Falklands/Malvinas war in the Patagonian city of Puerto Madryn.

• Monday, April 1st 2013 - 19:15 UTC

  Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico agree to ‘zero tariff’ for 90% of inter-trade

  

  Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico plan to sign an accord liberalizing 90% of trade among the group when they meet at the coming Pacific Alliance summit scheduled for May 23 in Colombia announced Chilean Foreign minister Alfredo Moreno.

• Monday, April 1st 2013 - 10:15 UTC

  Argentine central bank says it has enough reserves to contain the run on the US dollar

  

  With insistent rumours of imminent measures to try and control the value of the US dollar in Argentina, Central Bank Governor Mercedes Marcó del Pont, stressed that the country has more than 40 billion dollars in reserves “to manage the foreign exchange market avoiding sharp changes”.

• Monday, April 1st 2013 - 10:08 UTC

  Paraguayan president visits Spain and the OAS where he has ample support

  

  Paraguay’s president Federico Franco has arrived in Madrid, a special guest of his peer Mariano Rajoy with whom he will be holding talks at the Moncloa Palace. Rajoy is particularly interested in showing his support for President Franco and Paraguay that have been suspended from Mercosur and Unasur because of the removal by Congress, following political impeachment of Fernando Lugo.

• Monday, April 1st 2013 - 09:55 UTC

  Venezuela auctions dollars; value is estimated at double the official rate

  

  Venezuelan government foreign currency auction for local importers has triggered de-facto currency devaluation, the second in less than 50 days, analysts said. Venezuela has had strict currency exchange controls since 2003 in an attempt to halt capital flight, under which the government sold limited amounts of foreign currency at an official rate.

• Monday, April 1st 2013 - 09:46 UTC

  Cyprus depositors over 100.000 Euros could lose 60% of their savings

  

  Bank of Cyprus depositors with more than 100.000 Euros could lose up to 60% of their savings as part of an EU-IMF bailout restructuring move, officials say. The central bank says 37.5% of holdings over 100.000 Euros will become shares.

• Monday, April 1st 2013 - 09:38 UTC

  IMF board of directors continues to support Christine Lagarde

  

  International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde, whose Paris apartment was searched by police March 20 in a case involving businessman Bernard Tapie, retains the backing of the board of directors, an IMF spokesman said.