Politics

Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 16:28 UTC
China admits “big distribution challenges” in the Year of the Dragon

China will face “bigger challenges” in the Year of the Dragon its Prime Minister Wen Jiabao warned Saturday, as he pledged economic reforms to improve wealth distribution, state media reported.
Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 15:23 UTC
Costa Concordia captain claims he was ordered to make the fatal ‘salute’ display

The operators of the Costa Concordia faced questions over their share of the blame for the shipwreck, as divers recovered another body from the stricken liner, bringing the known death toll to 13.
Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 15:15 UTC
New Spanish minister proposes Gibraltar ‘quadripartite’ talks on cooperation

Spanish Foreign Affairs minister Jose Garcia-Margallo is seeking to revisit talks on co-operation with the disputed Gibraltar UK Overseas Territory on a new variation of the formulas for talks: a quadripartite forum.
Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 04:30 UTC
A woman of gritty character will head Brazil’s largest corporation, Petrobras

Maria da Gracas Foster, (58), will be head of Brazil’s largest corporation, Petrobras as of next February. This is the first time that the Brazilian oil corporation among the largest in the world will have a woman as CEO.
Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 04:12 UTC
Foreign airlines in Argentina told to privilege local service-contractors and suppliers

Fifteen foreign airlines operating from Argentina will have to report to the powerful Home Trade Secretary Guillermo Moreno a proposal to reduce their US dollars overseas remittances particularly to suppliers and services contracted overseas. It is estimated that these airlines remit a billion US dollars annually.
Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 04:08 UTC
Asia welcomes the Year of the Dragon, the most revered sign of the Chinese zodiac

Asia welcomed the Year of the Dragon on Monday with a cacophony of fireworks, hoping the mightiest sign in the Chinese zodiac will usher in the wealth and power it represents.
Sunday, January 22nd 2012 - 23:41 UTC
“Hard to understand why a country of 45 million threatens the Falklands with 3.000 inhabitants”

A member from the Falkland Islands’ elected Legislative Assembly said it’s hard to understand why a country of 45 million people like Argentina insists in threatening a country of 3.000, and underlined there’s not a single Islander who wants to be an Argentine.
Sunday, January 22nd 2012 - 23:36 UTC
A “psychological war” to persuade UK to negotiate Falklands’ sovereignty

So far it’s a psychological war to try and persuade the British to begin Falkland Islands a sovereignty discussion with Argentina but there is nothing to discuss about since the Islanders don’t want to belong to Argentina and that’s it, said UK retired Major General Julian Thompson.
Sunday, January 22nd 2012 - 23:30 UTC
Historic Portsmouth dockyard could face the axe, says The Sunday Times

UK arms manufacturer BAE Systems said it was reviewing its warship business but refused to comment on a newspaper report that it was set to close the historic Portsmouth dockyard.
Sunday, January 22nd 2012 - 20:45 UTC
“Argentina not looking to organize a blockade of the Malvinas”, says Timerman

Argentine Foreign Affairs minister Hector Timerman said that Argentina “is not looking to organize a blockade of the Malvinas” but only wants “to counter British interests” based on the Unasur and Mercosur decisions to bar Falklands’ flagged vessels from having access to regional ports.