Politics

• Wednesday, March 21st 2012 - 06:16 UTC

  HMS Montrose: Argentina thanks Humala; Peruvian opposition calls minister “incompetent and foolish”

  

  During a live press conference on Tuesday, Argentine President Cristina Fernández thanked “the Peruvian government and population” for their decision to leave without effect the scheduled, but controversial, visit of a British frigate “in support of the Argentine sovereignty claim over the Malvinas Islands.”

• Wednesday, March 21st 2012 - 04:41 UTC

  Next Mercosur summit in Mendoza, June 26/28; Brazil takes the relay

  

  The next Mercosur presidential summit is scheduled to take place next 26/28 June in the city of Mendoza, when the rotating chair will be handed for the following six months to Brazil.

• Wednesday, March 21st 2012 - 04:27 UTC

  Gibraltar exposed to a repeat of Spanish provocations from a decade ago

  

  Gibraltar appeared to be heading back to scenes of over a decade ago: clashes with Spanish fishermen and politicians. On Monday evening the Spanish ruling Popular Party from neighbouring Algeciras Mayor, Jose Ignacio Landaluce, boarded the vessel ‘Joaquina’ backing a protest sail into Gibraltar waters.

• Tuesday, March 20th 2012 - 23:51 UTC

  Spain vows to defend Repsol-YPF interests in Argentina; board meeting to decide on YPF profits

  

  Adding fuel to the quarrel between Argentina and Spain for disagreements over Spanish investors administrated YPF, Spanish Industry minister of José Manuel Soria vowed on Tuesday to defend his country’s interests.

• Tuesday, March 20th 2012 - 22:23 UTC

  Former councillor Cockwell receives OBE from the Queen for promoting Falklands internationally

  

  Former Falkland Islands elected Councillor Richard Cockwell last week received his OBE from Her Majesty the Queen at Buckingham Palace. Richard was awarded the honour for his work promoting the Falklands internationally.

• Tuesday, March 20th 2012 - 22:10 UTC

  Falklands recovers community land 30 after the war, following mines’ clearance

  

  Thirty years after the end of the South Atlantic conflict, the people of the Falkland Islands will be recovering an iconic leisure ground which remained banned for three decades because of the mines planted by the retreating Argentine forces that invaded the Islands 2 April 1982.

• Tuesday, March 20th 2012 - 22:01 UTC

  Poll shows 61% UK support for defending the Falklands; young voters not so sure

  

  As the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the South Atlantic conflict approaches, a new poll conducted in the UK by the newspaper The Guardian has shown that British people are largely determined to defend the islands.

• Tuesday, March 20th 2012 - 21:51 UTC

  Peru denies President Humala coming UK visit; confirms May trip to Argentina

  

  Peruvian Foreign Affairs minister Rafael Roncagliolo denied President Ollanta Humala had accepted an invitation to visit London next month, Lima’s El Comercio reported Tuesday in the front page.

• Tuesday, March 20th 2012 - 21:49 UTC

  Moody’s: Spain needs to implement more austerity; 4.000 town councils financially ‘non viable’

  

  Rating agency Moody's said on Tuesday that Spain's fiscal outlook remained challenging despite recently softened deficit targets. The announcement comes when the Secretary for Public administration admitted that 4.000 ‘ayuntamientos’ town councils in Spain are not financially viable.

• Tuesday, March 20th 2012 - 05:05 UTC

  Mujica promises to “fight to the death” for the future of Mercosur

  

  Uruguayan president Jose Mujica promised on Monday to ‘fight to the death’ for the future of Mercosur in spite of the fact that the group’s junior members Uruguay and Paraguay are suffering the most as Argentina and Brazil implement growing hurdles to trade.