Politics

• Tuesday, February 8th 2011 - 14:05 UTC

  Fearing Pinochet 1998 experience, former US president Bush cuts short EU visit

  

  When former Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet flew to Europe in 1998 for a vacation and back surgery, little did he know that he would be jailed by British authorities (acting on a Spanish arrest warrant) for human rights violations that occurred during his 17-year dictatorship.

• Tuesday, February 8th 2011 - 05:29 UTC

  Egypt attempts to put the economy back on movement

  

  The Egyptian government is struggling to finance itself as foreign investors pull out and the currency drops. It had to scale down a bond auction on Monday as state-owned banks failed to stump up enough cash.

• Tuesday, February 8th 2011 - 05:22 UTC

  When the Kirchners are over, Argentina will be a “minefield not a country”

  

  According to new Wikileaks cables unveiled by Spanish daily El Pais, Argetnina’s former Santa Fe governor Carlos Reutemann told US diplomats that “whoever comes after the Kirchner administrations will inherit a mine field” instead of a country.

• Tuesday, February 8th 2011 - 05:17 UTC

  Mujica calls on the ruling coalition “not to kill the golden eggs hen” of investment

  

  Uruguayan president Jose Mujica called on the ruling coalition to restrain public comments on wealth distribution or re-distribution underlining that the “golden eggs’ hen” is private investment so please “don’t kill the hen”.

• Tuesday, February 8th 2011 - 05:03 UTC

  Argentine industry warns: inflation is like a hard drug that creates “illusions and social tensions”

  

  Argentina’s Industrial Union’s vice president, and FIAT Argentina’s head Cristiano Ratazzi, warned Monday that “inflation is like a drug that creates illusions but also social tensions”.

• Tuesday, February 8th 2011 - 01:18 UTC

  Brazil reaffirms links with Venezuela; calls for quick Mercosur integration

  

  Brazil expects Venezuela’s full incorporation to Mercosur to be approved “soon” said Foreign Affairs minister Antonio Patriota during a meeting on Monday in Caracas with his peer Nicolas Maduro in Caracas to reaffirm strong bilateral links.

• Tuesday, February 8th 2011 - 01:08 UTC

  EU top official says “this is the moment” for a trade agreement with Mercosur

  

  European Union Trade commissioner Karel de Gutch said Monday he strongly believes the EU will reach a trade agreement with Mercosur because “this is the moment” and both sides are committed to conclude negotiations positively.

• Monday, February 7th 2011 - 20:54 UTC

  Geithner implicitly endorses “capital controls” during Brazilian visit

  

  US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner reached out to Brazil by citing a shared concern - China - and endorsing Brazil's approach for dealing with global economic distortions.

• Monday, February 7th 2011 - 20:41 UTC

  Argentina conditions luxury car imports to deals with Mercosur auto-parts industry

  

  Argentina has stopped the import of high-class luxury cars and redoubled efforts to convince companies with no assembly plants in Mercosur to reduce imports and reach export agreements with Argentine auto parts industry.

• Monday, February 7th 2011 - 19:50 UTC

  British PM David Cameron “the doctrine of state multiculturalism has failed”

  

  Britain’s Prime Minister identified segregation and separatism as key issues behind the threat of Islamic extremism and called for a “shared national identity”.
  Speaking at the Munich Security Conference PM Cameron stressed the difference between Islam as a religion and Islamic extremism as a political ideology, and said that Western countries need to confront extremism rather than practice a “hands-off tolerance”.