Politics

• Friday, January 8th 2010 - 06:22 UTC

  Waters dispute with Spain, Gibraltar’s main challenge in 2009

  

  Gibraltar Chief Minister Peter Caruana said this week that the biggest challenge of all in 2009 was that over the sovereignty of Gibraltar’s waters represented by Spain’s designation of areas of these as an EU environmental protection zone, and the EU Commission inclusion of it in the official EU list.

• Friday, January 8th 2010 - 06:12 UTC

  President Lula da Silva “will decide” on contract for huge fighter jet order

  

  Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said Thursday that the government -- not the Air Force -- will determine which contractor to pick for a 4.4 billion US dollars fighter jet order, and that President Lula da Silva has not yet made his decision.

• Thursday, January 7th 2010 - 17:32 UTC

  Spain optimistic about an EU/Mercosur trade agreement this year

  

  Spain’s Foreign Affairs minister Miguel Angel Moratinos is confident that the European Union will reach a trade understanding or road map with Mercosur during the first half of this year, since Spain holds the EU rotating presidency.

• Thursday, January 7th 2010 - 17:27 UTC

  Former Argentine ambassador in Montevideo praises Uruguay’s “three Joes”

  

  The Argentine government accepted on Wednesday the resignation of its ambassador in Uruguay, Hernan Patiño Meyer who has been involved in a political controversy following comments praising Uruguayan president-elect Jose Mujica.

• Thursday, January 7th 2010 - 17:17 UTC

  Political standoff in Argentina over sacking of Central Bank president

  

  A political standoff over the head of Argentina's central bank materialized Wednesday after the bank's president declined to support a plan to use 6.5 billion US dollars in reserves to pay debt.

• Thursday, January 7th 2010 - 17:05 UTC

  Argentina opens “dirty war” files except those related to South Atlantic conflict

  

  Argentina declassified and has made public all documents and information related to military activities for the period extending from 1976 to 1983 when the country was ruled by the Armed Forces, However decree 4/2010 excludes all information and documents related to the South Atlantic (Falklands/Malvinas) conflict and any other inter-state conflict”.

• Thursday, January 7th 2010 - 17:00 UTC

  Honduras Micheletti refuses to resign and tells the US he will stay on until Jan 27

  

  Honduras de facto leader Roberto Micheletti responded harshly to US suggestions that he resign weeks before a new president takes office on January 27.

• Thursday, January 7th 2010 - 16:45 UTC

  Paraguay’s Vice-president contrary to Venezuela joining Mercosur

  

  Paraguay’s Vice-president Federico Franco said he was contrary to Venezuela’s incorporation to Mercosur as long as Hugo Chavez is president accusing him of having “imperial attitudes” towards the land-locked country.

• Wednesday, January 6th 2010 - 13:04 UTC

  Air Tahiti confirms MOD contract for Falklands’ airbridge

  

  French Polynesia’s flag carrier has signed a deal with the British Defense Ministry to fly military personnel from England to the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, according to Radio New Zealand International.

• Wednesday, January 6th 2010 - 11:18 UTC

  Buenos Aires Mayor tossed his hat into the Argentine presidential ring

  

  Buenos Aires City Mayor Mauricio Macri tossed his hat into the 2011 Argentine presidential ring by saying that it would be a “boyhood dream” to face off against ex-president Néstor Kirchner next year. “We are building a candidacy” he underlined.