Politics

• Friday, June 18th 2010 - 00:08 UTC

  Spain’s leading bank “one of the best” in the EU, says Rodriguez Zapatero

  

  Spanish banking giant Banco Santander SA (STD) had “one of the best” results from the stress tests conducted by the Committee of European Banking Supervisors, a spokesman for Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Thursday.

• Thursday, June 17th 2010 - 22:38 UTC

  Swiss parliament agrees to tax treaty with US, which saves leading bank

  

  Swiss lawmakers approved Thursday a UBS tax treaty with the US, ending a two-year legal battle that threatened the American business of Switzerland’s largest bank. The vote removed the threat of further civil litigation against UBS and additional fallout under US criminal law.

• Thursday, June 17th 2010 - 22:29 UTC

  Irish church leaders attack “shocking” lending practices of some banks

  

  Church leaders in Northern Ireland have launched a bitter attack on the ‘shocking’ lending polices of some banks, claiming they are putting ‘decent’ businesses and people at risk.

• Thursday, June 17th 2010 - 06:13 UTC

  Argentine activists suspend blockade; 60 days to reach agreement

  

  Argentine activists voted Wednesday night to temporarily lift the roadblock on a bridge leading to Uruguay which has been at the heart of a diplomatic dispute between the two countries regarding the construction of a pulp mill on the Uruguayan side which allegedly contaminates.

• Thursday, June 17th 2010 - 06:06 UTC

  Taiana and Tierra del Fuego governor heads of delegation to C 24 in New York

  

  A new chapter of the Argentine escalation of the Falklands/Malvinas sovereignty dispute is scheduled for next week at the United Nations Decolonization Committee or C24.

• Thursday, June 17th 2010 - 06:04 UTC

  Spanish government struggling to survive amid growing doubts about the economy

  

  The Spanish government Wednesday approved a reform to make the labour market more flexible, amid growing international concern over the stability of the country's economy.

• Thursday, June 17th 2010 - 05:54 UTC

  Scotch whisky matured for 64 years sold at £ 25.200

  

  A Scotch whisky matured for more than six decades sold for 25,200 pounds ($37,245) at an Edinburgh auction Wednesday as collectors vied for rare malts.

• Thursday, June 17th 2010 - 03:19 UTC

  Mercosur and EU clash over mining environmental regulations

  

  Mercosur and associate members Chile and Ecuador rejected environmental regulations for the mining sector, under consideration by the European parliament and which could become a barrier for minerals’ exports to the EU.

• Thursday, June 17th 2010 - 02:39 UTC

  Paraguayan Senator admits talks to support Venezuela’s Mercosur incorporation

  

  In spite of a specific mandate to vote against the incorporation of Venezuela to Mercosur, the Colorado party which is the single strongest force in the Paraguayan senate could reconsider the situation according to Martin Chiola, first Vice-president of the Upper House.

• Thursday, June 17th 2010 - 01:44 UTC

  EU/Mercosur trade talks to take off end of June in Buenos Aires

  

  Trade talks between the European Commission and Mercosur will begin at the end of the month, June 29 in Buenos Aires, according to EC sources. Talks are scheduled to last for over a year and expected to receive strong criticism from EU farmers’ organizations.