Politics

• Thursday, March 28th 2013 - 09:56 UTC

  Argentina prepared to offer suing ‘vulture funds’ a 25-year bond, says Ambito

  

  Argentina plans to offer suing “holdout” creditors a 25-year bond equal to the face value of their debt when the country defaulted in 2002, local financial daily Ambito Financiero reported on Wednesday.

• Thursday, March 28th 2013 - 09:40 UTC

  “Only a mentally ill would want to govern Italy now” says frustrated Bersani

  

  The head of Italy's centre-left bloc has hit an impasse in his efforts to form a government and said only a mentally ill person would want to govern Italy now. Pier Luigi Bersani was rebuffed by the anti-establishment Five Star Movement on Wednesday.

• Thursday, March 28th 2013 - 09:30 UTC

  All EU eyes on Cypriot banks which open Thursday with tough deposit controls

  

  Cyprus trucked out cash for its banks on Wednesday night to prepare them to reopen to a siege by anxious depositors, with tough controls imposed on the use of currency to avert a bank run as a result of its harsh rescue deal.

• Thursday, March 28th 2013 - 09:26 UTC

  Frustration with Hollande at its peak; Thursday he will address the French people

  

  French President Francois Hollande's popularity rating has fallen to its lowest level since he came to power, according to a poll released a day before he is due to address the nation to ask for patience as he attempts to revive the economy.

• Thursday, March 28th 2013 - 09:19 UTC

  China and Brazil sign agreement to trade in their local currencies

  

  China and Brazil signed an agreement to do billions of dollars of trade in their local currencies, as the five-nation BRICS forum of emerging market powers work to lessen dependence on the US dollar and Euro.

• Thursday, March 28th 2013 - 09:09 UTC

  Royal Navy’s sixth Type 45 destroyer with the Sea Viper missile defence system ready to begin trials

  

  HMS Duncan, the sixth and final of the UK’s sophisticated, new class of Type 45 destroyers, has been formally handed over to the Royal Navy by shipbuilder BAE Systems, the MOD announced today.

• Wednesday, March 27th 2013 - 23:11 UTC

  Bristow Helicopters takes over UK search and rescue service from RAF and RN

  

  Britain’s Department for Transport (DfT) has announced the signing of a £1.6 billion contract to provide the UK's search and rescue helicopter services. UK SAR is currently provided by RAF and Royal Navy personnel using Sea King helicopters from eight bases across the UK and through a civilian helicopter service under contract to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) from four bases.

• Wednesday, March 27th 2013 - 21:52 UTC

  Falkland Islands issue gets involved in Argentina’s 150th celebration of Welsh settlers in Patagonia

  

  Argentine ambassador in London Alicia Castro revealed she has been meeting with Welsh MPs for the potential organization of the 150th anniversary of Welsh settlers in Patagonia in 2015. However Welsh sources said initial discussions broke down because the Argentine representatives were seeking people supportive of their views in the Falkland Islands dispute.

• Wednesday, March 27th 2013 - 21:19 UTC

  BRICS summit decides ‘formal negotiations’ to create a development bank

  

  The leaders of the five BRICS nations stopped short of establishing a highly-promoted development bank at this week’s summit in South Africa, instead saying they would enter “formal negotiations” on the issue. But the summit did yield some agreements, including big-money bilateral trade deals.

• Wednesday, March 27th 2013 - 19:56 UTC

  Brazil’s Dilma seems unbeatable 18 months ahead of the presidential election

  

  Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff leads comfortably vote intention according to two public opinion polls published by leading newspapers, which indicate that she would have an easy win in the first round of the 2014 presidential election.