Politics

• Thursday, November 18th 2010 - 18:53 UTC

  EU unveils plans for a “greener” 60 billion Euro Common Agricultural Policy

  

  EU farm spending, worth almost 60 billion Euros annually, should no longer be based on previous subsidy levels for farmers, the European Commission has said. But subsidies are still needed to protect Europe's food supplies and rural diversity, it believes.

• Thursday, November 18th 2010 - 18:51 UTC

  UK banks’ exposure to Irish lenders above £ 139 billion

  

  Ireland's banking problems are likely to have a direct effect on the United Kingdom's battered institutions. According to the Bank of International Settlements, UK banks have a total exposure to Irish lenders of 222 billion US dollars (£139bn).

• Thursday, November 18th 2010 - 18:35 UTC

  Ireland’s dilemma: sovereign solvency or rescuing the banking system

  

  Emergency talks were being held in Dublin overnight as fears about Ireland’s ailing banking system forced the deployment of a team from the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank.

• Thursday, November 18th 2010 - 17:08 UTC

  UK promises stronger and closer relationship with Overseas Territories

  

  A wide range of issues of mutual interest and concern were addressed by the UK Minister for the Overseas Territories Henry Bellingham and leaders from the Overseas Territories. The OTs Consultative Council is currently meeting in London.

• Thursday, November 18th 2010 - 02:31 UTC

  Mercosur and Unasur need an institutional framework to keep advancing

  

  Brazilian president-elect Dilma Rousseff must inject more life to the institutional strength of Mercosur and the Union of South American Nations, Unasur, and then push for integration with Central America and the Caribbean, said Marco Aurelio García, President Lula da Silva advisor on foreign affairs.

• Thursday, November 18th 2010 - 02:26 UTC

  Family farming as the backbone to ensure countries’ “food sovereignty”

  

  Representatives from Mercosur, Africa, China, India and multilateral organizations such as the United Nations called for the right to “food sovereignty”, thus preventing the international corporations from taking control of the seeds’ market.

• Wednesday, November 17th 2010 - 23:37 UTC

  Argentina sends humanitarian aid to hurricane ravaged Santa Lucia Island

  

  Argentina has sent an expert in storage and humanitarian aid to the Caribbean island of Santa Lucia, recently ravaged by hurricane Tomas. The expert and 20 boxes containing sufficient pills to supply 600.000 litres of drinking water was expected to arrive in the island this week.

• Wednesday, November 17th 2010 - 20:45 UTC

  Uruguayan tycoon involved in major corruption and tax scam in South Africa

  

  Uruguayan businessman Gaston Savoi long established in South Africa is facing corruption and tax evasion charges in association with top figures from the ruling African National Congress party belonging to the provincial governments of KwaZulu-Natal and Northern Cape.

• Wednesday, November 17th 2010 - 16:16 UTC

  UK launches new Overseas Territories’ strategy at London meeting

  

  A new strategy that will reinvigorate the UK's relationship with its Overseas Territories will be at the heart of discussions at the annual Overseas Territories Consultative Council which begins Wednesday 17 November.

• Wednesday, November 17th 2010 - 16:12 UTC

  Argentina sends the Paris Club a possible road map for negotiations

  

  Argentine Economy Minister Amado Boudou confirmed that the ministry sent a letter to the Paris Club in order to initiate negotiations and establish a course of action for the cancellation of debt, although no specific dates were mentioned.