Politics

• Sunday, January 20th 2013 - 21:22 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez re-election back on the political agenda ahead of the mid term October election

  

  The possibility of a re-re-election of Argentine president Cristina Fernandez is back in the political agenda, this time spurred by a member of the Lower House with close contacts with trade unions and father of the General Manager of the now re-nationalized Argentine flag carrier Aerolineas Argentinas

• Sunday, January 20th 2013 - 19:40 UTC

  Obama begins his second mandate; the public ceremony and pomp on Monday

  

  Barack Obama has officially been sworn in for his second term as US president in a small ceremony at the White House. Although the US Constitution requires the oath of office to be taken by noon on 20 January, that falls on a Sunday so the public inauguration will take place on Monday.

• Saturday, January 19th 2013 - 03:29 UTC

  Santos could seek popular approval for any peace and political accord with FARC

  

  Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos opened the door to a popular vote on any peace accord negotiated and signed with FARC rebels, but rejected a guerrilla demand to change the constitution if a deal is clinched.

• Friday, January 18th 2013 - 23:39 UTC

  First journalist killed in the western hemisphere in 2013 is from Brazil

  

  Renato Machado Gonçalves, the manager and joint owner of Radio Barra FM in Rio de Janeiro state, has become the first journalist to be killed in the western hemisphere in 2013. He was gunned down as he left his home in the north of the state last week.

• Friday, January 18th 2013 - 14:33 UTC

  Falklands’ referendum, a “democratic and incontestable” answer to Argentina’s ambitions

  

  The Falkland Islands elected government has confirmed the dates and final wording of the referendum on the political status of the Islands, based on their right to self determination and to counter Argentina’s repeated calls for negotiations over sovereignty.

• Friday, January 18th 2013 - 14:29 UTC

  Falklands does not discard a referendum on ‘full independence in the future’

  

  If at the coming referendum, the Falkland Islands wish to remain a UK Overseas Territory, retaining the current status and preserving the right to self-determination, which would allow the Falkland Islands to review its status at any time, “this could include full independence in the future”, points out the booklet “On the future of the Falkland Islands”.

• Friday, January 18th 2013 - 06:12 UTC

  Argentina thanks Indonesia for support on Falklands issue and blasts multilateral organizations

  

  President Cristina Fernandez thanked Indonesia for the “permanent support” extended to Argentina in the “Malvinas cause” and reiterated that Argentina is only asking for the UK to respect and abide the United Nations resolution, but at the same time attacked multilateral organizations such as the UN and WTO for “favouring the great powers”.

• Friday, January 18th 2013 - 06:08 UTC

  OAS will send observers to the February 17 general elections in Ecuador

  

  The Organization of American States will be sending observers to the coming presidential and legislative elections in Ecuador next month and to that effect OAS and Ecuador signed the agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of Observers which provides the conditions for the work of the Electoral Observation Mission.

• Friday, January 18th 2013 - 06:02 UTC

  Venezuela wants best of relations with the US based on ‘mutual absolute respect’

  

  Vice-president Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday that Venezuela is willing to have the ‘best possible relations’ with the US government as long as these are based on respect and equality. He added that it was President Hugo Chavez who instructed the newly named Foreign minister Elias Jaua on the issue.

• Thursday, January 17th 2013 - 23:45 UTC

  European Parliament calls for speeding EU/Mercosur trade negotiations

  

  The European Parliament regretted that negotiations for an association agreement between the European Union and Mercosur remain stalled or have hardly advanced since they officially resumed two years ago.