Politics

• Tuesday, February 7th 2012 - 05:49 UTC

  EU and Mercosur hope they can reach a trade agreement by the end of 2012

  

  The European Union and Mercosur are hopeful they can reach a trade agreement before the end of the year said the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton during her visit to Brazil.

• Tuesday, February 7th 2012 - 05:38 UTC

  Except for defence, Falklands don’t need anything from any country, says MLA Sawle

  

  The Falklands don’t need anything from any country, not even England, said Dick Sawle elected member of the Falklands Legislative Assembly, although admitting that the Islands do rely on the UK for protection.

• Tuesday, February 7th 2012 - 04:46 UTC

  Britain steps up its claim to the Falkland Islands

  

  By David Usborne - The following piece published by The Independent reveals the contents of a letter delivered by the British ambassador to the UN, Sir Mark Lyall Grant to UN Secretary General Ban-ki Moon rebutting Argentine historic arguments on which Buenos Aires supports its sovereignty claim over the Falkland Islands.

• Tuesday, February 7th 2012 - 00:03 UTC

  Malvinas dispute anticipates visits of Cristina Fernandez and Hague to Chile

  

  British Foreign Secretary William Hague and Argentine president Cristina Fernandez are expected to visit Chile in the near future as pressure mounts on the conservative government of President Sebastian Piñera because of the ongoing UK/Argentina diplomatic dispute over the Faklands/Malvinas issue.

• Monday, February 6th 2012 - 22:08 UTC

  Surinam and Santa Lucia apply to join President Chavez ALBA group

  

  Surinam and the Caribbean island of Santa Lucia are in the process of becoming full members of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Peoples of America, ALBA group, while Haiti has been nominated “standing invited member”.

• Monday, February 6th 2012 - 21:37 UTC

  Portsmouth prepares to receive the Royal Navy’s biggest warships ever

  

  Britain’s Portsmouth Naval Base is preparing to be the home of the biggest warships ever built for the Royal Navy. A specialist rig began six weeks of drilling on Friday, sampling the seabed in the harbour and in the Solent.

• Monday, February 6th 2012 - 18:45 UTC

  Chile supports Malvinas claim but underlines ‘special relation’ with the UK

  

  “Chile’s support to Argentina’s claim over the Malvinas Islands is a state policy for our country” said Chilean Executive secretary Andres Chadwick, but it does not mean any impediment to that “very special relation we have with the UK”.

• Monday, February 6th 2012 - 10:44 UTC

  Top US official for Latinamerica scheduled to visit Peru and Argentina

  

  US Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta S. Jacobson travels this week to Peru and Argentina to meet with government, business, and civil society members in these key regional partners.

• Monday, February 6th 2012 - 07:22 UTC

  Close confident of Cristina Fernandez re-floats idea of a third consecutive mandate

  

  The rumours of a constitutional amendment in Argentina which could include a re-re-election review privileging a possible third consecutive mandate for President Cristina Fernandez have again resurfaced and this time by a close confident of the Kirchner family.

• Monday, February 6th 2012 - 07:16 UTC

  Uruguayan president downplays the impact of Argentine imports’ restrictions

  

  The new trade barriers enforced by the Argentine government are “insignificant, nothing to worry about,” Uruguayan president José Mujíca said to a Montevideo newspaper insisting that the best path is ‘dialogue’ dismounting each obstacle ‘step by step’.