Politics

• Monday, July 16th 2012 - 03:29 UTC

  Royal Navy largest ship, HMS Ocean begins her Olympic deployment

  

  One hundred and fifty sailors and aircrew recreated the Olympic Rings on the flight deck of the Royal Navy's largest ship to mark the start of her Olympic deployment for the 2012 London Games.

• Monday, July 16th 2012 - 03:21 UTC

  Merkel confident Bundestag will support aid package for Spanish banks

  

  Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was confident that a majority of German lawmakers would back aid for Spain's ailing banking sector at a special sitting of the lower house Bundestag set for Thursday.

• Monday, July 16th 2012 - 03:15 UTC

  Mujica back steps: cannabis legal only “if 60% of public opinion supports idea”

  

  Uruguayan president Jose Mujica has back stepped on his initiative to legalize marihuana conditioning it to an “ample support from public opinion”, at least 60%. The initiative was announced a few weeks ago during the Rio+20 summit and sent shockwaves in the region and worldwide.

• Monday, July 16th 2012 - 03:05 UTC

  Mercosur reduced to a group “of bear-hugging and kissing compañeros”

  

  The influential British business and politics magazine The Economist anticipates that following the latest decisions by Mercosur, the South American group has little if any future. The Economist argues that the mounting protectionism and the rule-breaking admission of Venezuela have fatally undermined a once-promising trade block.

• Monday, July 16th 2012 - 02:35 UTC

  Hollande says jobs (and neutralizing family affairs), are his priorities

  

  President Francois Hollande marked Bastille Day (July 14) celebrations with a pledge to fight industrial layoffs and clean up French politics, after watching troops parade down the Champs Elysees as jets streamed the national colours overhead.

• Saturday, July 14th 2012 - 07:46 UTC

  Venezuela/Argentina sign military cooperation in framework of Unasur Defence Council

  

  Venezuelan Defence minister Henry Rangel Silva and his Argentine peer Arturo Puricelli signed on Friday a cooperation agreement to further advance in the integration of the two armed forces in the framework of the Unasur Defence Council.

• Saturday, July 14th 2012 - 07:39 UTC

  Bolivia announces the “end of Coca Cola and capitalism” for December 21

  

  December 21, the austral summer solstice, will mark the end of Coca Cola and capitalism and the start of a new cosmic era of community spirit and love, announced Bolivia’s Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca.

• Saturday, July 14th 2012 - 07:01 UTC

  Bolivia willing to compensate for silver mine but positions are distant

  

  Bolivian government is willing to compensate South American Silver Corp for revoking its concession on the Malku Khota project, but it will be far less than the 16 million dollars the company says it has invested, the country's vice president said on Thursday.

• Saturday, July 14th 2012 - 01:22 UTC

  Argentina has three annual inflation estimates: 9.9%; 23.96% and 30%

  

  Argentina's government reported Friday that consumer prices rose by 0.7% in June. The estimate, published by national statistics agency, Indec, indicates that in the first half of 2012 inflation reached 5.1% and 9.9% in the last twelve months.

• Saturday, July 14th 2012 - 00:46 UTC

  Chavez becomes an issue of the US presidential campaign

  

  President Hugo Chavez denied on Friday that Venezuela was a threat to anyone, after US presidential hopeful Mitt Romney criticized Barack Obama for playing down the risk posed by the socialist leader.