Politics

• Tuesday, May 22nd 2012 - 18:55 UTC

  NATO aggress to leave Afghanistan end of 2014: what happens later is anybody’s guess

  

  NATO leaders sealed a landmark agreement to hand control of Afghanistan over to its own security forces by the middle of next year, putting the Western alliance on an “irreversible” path out of an unpopular, decade-long war.

• Tuesday, May 22nd 2012 - 18:43 UTC

  Women commanders take over HMS Portland and Patrol Boat Squadron

  

  Two Royal Navy commanders have accomplished two major achievements: Commander Sarah West, aged 40, joins Type 23 frigate HMS Portland in Rosyth on Tuesday becoming the first woman in the Royal Navy's history to be selected to command a major warship.

• Tuesday, May 22nd 2012 - 18:29 UTC

  Royal Navy says HMS Talent reports are “mere media speculations”

  

  Royal Navy Commander Mark Southorn said on Tuesday that news informing of the sending of the HMS Talent nuke submarine to the Falkland Islands are “mere media speculations”.

• Tuesday, May 22nd 2012 - 06:39 UTC

  Minister Browne and Gibraltar’s Bossano will attend Falklands’ Liberation Day June 14

  

  Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne is scheduled to attend the Falkland Islands Liberation ceremony on June 14 in Stanley to mark the 30th anniversary of the recovery of the Islands from invading Argentine forces.

• Tuesday, May 22nd 2012 - 06:21 UTC

  Antarctica tourism rapidly adapting to new environment-friendly rules

  

  An expanded Executive Committee and reorganized Secretariat, new rules of procedure for compliance and dispute resolution issues, and a Marine Committee Safety Advisory were just some of the actions and decisions adopted by Members at the 23rd Annual Meeting of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), held in Providence, Rhode Island earlier this month.

• Tuesday, May 22nd 2012 - 06:09 UTC

  Argentina proposal to increase Mercosur common external tariff from 22% to 35%

  

  Argentina is planning to propose its fellow Mercosur members to increase the common external tariff, CET from the current 22% to 35%, when they meet at the next summit in Mendoza. Argentina currently holds the pro tempore chair of the group and at the coming summit the helm will be transferred to Brazil.

• Tuesday, May 22nd 2012 - 06:00 UTC

  Argentine frozen chips retained in the border because of trade dispute with Brazil

  

  Canada’s Mc Cain has suspended production of frozen chip potatoes in Argentina because of the trade barriers which impede exports to Brazil in the framework of a bilateral dispute that is limiting the flow of goods both ways.

• Tuesday, May 22nd 2012 - 03:22 UTC

  Brazil announces measures to boost sales of vehicles and stimulate growth

  

  Brazil lowered taxes on consumer borrowing and created incentives for banks to boost vehicle lending as policy makers struggle to revive economic growth in the Latin America’s largest market.

• Monday, May 21st 2012 - 06:39 UTC

  Taiwan demands from Latam allies “fair, legal and effective” cooperation relation

  

  Taiwan will continue to cooperate with Latin America as long as the relation is fair, legal and effective, said re-elected president Ma Ying Jeou who also described that links with Beijing will continue to be: “no unification, no independence and no arms”.

• Monday, May 21st 2012 - 06:36 UTC

  Chavez admits he is currently working 8 hours a day or less and resting to recover

  

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez broke his weeklong silence to say that “unfortunately” he will not continue being that “runaway” horse that never slept, and said he now works only eight hours a day and sometimes less.