Politics

• Thursday, October 20th 2011 - 21:25 UTC

  Basque ETA group calls a “definitive cessation” of hostilities, reports BBC

  

  The Basque separatist group ETA says it has called a “definitive cessation” to its campaign of bombings and shootings. In a statement provided to the BBC, Eta called on the Spanish and French governments to respond with “a process of direct dialogue”.

• Thursday, October 20th 2011 - 21:16 UTC

  Chavez declares he’s free of cancer; makes pilgrimage to Catholic miraculous shrine

  

  Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez self-declared he was cancer-free on Thursday four months after surgery to remove a cancerous tumour that shook the oil rich country ahead of a 2012 presidential vote.

• Thursday, October 20th 2011 - 21:09 UTC

  European leaders call on Libyans to build a strong and democratic future

  

  French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday that the death of Muammar Gaddafi turned a page for the Libyan people and signalled the start of a democratic process.

• Thursday, October 20th 2011 - 07:05 UTC

  IBSA group plans 25bn trade and FTA with Mercosur and Sacu

  

  In an attempt to accelerate talks on a trilateral free trade agreement (FTA) , the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) summit decided to hold an annual meeting of trade ministers from the three countries beginning from March next year.

• Thursday, October 20th 2011 - 06:55 UTC

  Amazon Indians reach La Paz rattling Morales grip over government

  

  Hundreds of members from indigenous tribes opposing a jungle highway financed by Brazil and that they say will spoil their lands in Bolivia's Amazon drew cheers Wednesday when they paraded into the capital La Paz after a 63-day protest march.

• Thursday, October 20th 2011 - 06:51 UTC

  Cuba to lease larger plots to private farmers hoping to increase food production

  

  Cuba will greatly expand the amount of land granted to private farmers, an agriculture official said on Wednesday, as the country struggles to boost food production.

• Thursday, October 20th 2011 - 04:21 UTC

  ‘The role of the State’ to be discusses in the Ibero-American summit

  

  “State reform and development” will be driving force of the coming Ibero-American summit to take place next week, October 28/29 in Paraguay and already has the attendance confirmation of eighteen presidents, according to the organizers.

• Thursday, October 20th 2011 - 04:13 UTC

  Mexican group organizing round of conferences on the Falklands/Malvinas war

  

  The Solidarity with Malvinas Islands Group in Mexico is organizing a round of conferences next April/June in coincidence with the 30th anniversary of the Falklands/Malvinas war to which will be invited academics both from Argentina and the UK.

• Thursday, October 20th 2011 - 04:07 UTC

  UK Parliament praises Brazil, but regrets its ‘hardening’ policy towards Falklands

  

  Britain’s House of Commons strongly supports a closer bilateral relationship with Brazil, which it describes as a democratic, well governed, responsible state but regrets the hardening position of Brazil towards the Falklands and the HMS Clyde incident.

• Thursday, October 20th 2011 - 03:59 UTC

  “UK uncompromisingly committed to the security and sovereignty of Gibraltar “

  

  UK Europe Minister David Lidington declared that Prime Minister David Cameron “is a firm and loyal friend of Gibraltar and of its people” and the present British Government is “firmly and uncompromisingly committed to the security and the sovereignty of Gibraltar including British Gibraltar Territorial Waters”.