Politics

• Saturday, June 16th 2012 - 03:03 UTC

  “Who cares what an American official can think about the situation in Spain?”

  

  Economics Nobel prize (2011) Thomas Sargent admitted feeling “ashamed” when some officials from the US government make recommendations to Europe, Spain and other countries on what policies they should adopt to climb out of the current crisis.

• Saturday, June 16th 2012 - 03:00 UTC

  Pitting the idea of growth against budgetary rigour is ‘simply rubbish’ says Merkel

  

  Germany's Angela Merkel regretted the lack of confidence among Euro leaders and warned against “mediocrity” as she stood firm against “growth quick fixes” to Europe's crisis.

• Saturday, June 16th 2012 - 02:53 UTC

  Paraguay landless peasants-police shootout kills 18; Army moves into the area

  

  Paraguay sent the Army after at least 18 people were killed and over eighty wounded, many of them seriously, on Friday in armed clashes that erupted when police tried to evict landless peasant farmers squatting a privately-owned farm in Paraguay, officials said.

• Friday, June 15th 2012 - 19:23 UTC

  Euro central banks prepared for any ‘Greek surprise’, anticipates Draghi

  

  The Euro zone economy faces serious risks and no inflation threat, European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said on Friday in comments that heightened expectations the ECB could cut interest rates or take other policy action soon.

• Friday, June 15th 2012 - 19:20 UTC

  Modest gains in world markets waiting for the Greece’s Sunday election

  

  US stock were modestly higher as optimism over a possible coordinated action by major world central banks if Sunday's Greek election causes financial turmoil was tempered by a weak reading on domestic manufacturing.

• Friday, June 15th 2012 - 19:10 UTC

  Falklands “incredibly disappointed” with Argentines refusal of dialogue invitation

  

  The Falkland Islands Government is “incredibly disappointed” that despite claims from Argentine president Cristina Fernandez, before the United Nations, of “only wanting to sit down and discuss about Falklands”, her government rejected point blank an invitation to dialogue.

• Friday, June 15th 2012 - 06:23 UTC

  Argentina refuses to receive invitation to dialogue from the Falklands’ government

  

  A letter from the Falkland Islands government inviting the Argentine government to enter into a dialogue and which was to be delivered directly to President Cristina Fernandez’ delegation during the Decolonization Committee debate was frustrated by the passivity of the C24 chair and by Foreign Minister Hector Timerman.

• Friday, June 15th 2012 - 06:19 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez calls for an end to colonialism and blast UN Security Council

  

  In a strong speech claiming sovereignty over the Falklands/Malvinas issue addressing the UN Decolonization Committee, Argentine president Cristina Fernandez called on the UK “to leave this history of colonialism behind and start building a new history based on dialogue” but at the same time blasted the recent announcement of a referendum in the Islands do decide on their political status.

• Friday, June 15th 2012 - 06:17 UTC

  Colombia passes law that could pave the way for peace talks with guerrillas

  

  Colombia's Congress on Thursday passed a law that could pave the way for peace talks with Marxist oriented guerrillas, raising hopes for an end to the war, but drawing criticism from human rights groups that say the law is too lenient toward rebel leaders.

• Friday, June 15th 2012 - 03:18 UTC

  Summers invites Argentina to sit down and enter into a dialogue with the people of the Falklands

  

  In his speech to the UN Decolonization Committee MLA Mike Summers recalled that Article 1 of the UN Charter sets out the importance of respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of all peoples, which Argentina ignores and the Commission, which tries to be neutral, does not express this in its resolutions.