Politics

• Tuesday, January 5th 2010 - 12:19 UTC

  Illegal immigrants working for British government sensitive offices

  

  Hundreds of illegal immigrants have been working for the British Government in some of the country's most sensitive offices. Some 349 illegal foreign staff have been given jobs with Whitehall departments, councils and NHS Trusts over the past four years.

• Monday, January 4th 2010 - 07:56 UTC

  Argentina recalls events of 1833 and reiterates Malvinas claim

  

  On the 177th anniversary of the “illegitimate occupation” by the United Kingdom of the Malvinas Islands, Argentina “repudiates” events of 3 January 1833 and calls on the UK to comply with the mandate of the international community and find a peaceful solution to the conflict.

• Thursday, December 31st 2009 - 12:18 UTC

  Dear MercoPress subscribers and readers:

  

  MercoPress wishes all subscribers and readers a very prosperous New Year, hoping 2010 will definitively help to lift the world out of global recession.

• Thursday, December 31st 2009 - 12:08 UTC

  Lula da Silva ends 2009 with a military crisis over reviewing the past

  

  Brazilian president Lula da Silva praised as one of the most influential leaders of the world ends 2009 with a serious political crisis: the Minister of Defence and the commanders on the three services have threatened to resign over the creation of a “truth commission” to investigate human rights abuses during the military dictatorship that extended from 1964 to 1985.

• Thursday, December 31st 2009 - 12:04 UTC

  Argentine archbishop convicted for sexual abuse

  

  Argentine cleric gets 8 years in sex abuse case. An Argentine judge convicted a former Roman Catholic archbishop Wednesday of sexually abusing a seminarian in 1992.

• Thursday, December 31st 2009 - 07:46 UTC

  When Japan assigned 20 “karate-ladies” to protect Margaret Thatcher

  

  Japan was asked not to greet Britain's first female prime minister with a security escort of 20 “karate ladies”, newly-released British government papers show. Margaret Thatcher visited Tokyo for an economic summit in June 1979 - a month after winning the general election.

• Thursday, December 31st 2009 - 05:46 UTC

  Spain names first director for the Instituto Cervantes in Gibraltar

  

  Francisco Oda-Angel, the former director of the Instituto Transfronterizo will be officially assuming his post as the first director of the Gibraltar branch of the Instituto Cervantes (equivalent of the British Council) as from January 1st 2010, reports the Gibraltar Chronicle.

• Thursday, December 31st 2009 - 05:41 UTC

  Colombia disavows any “aggressive” mention towards Venezuela

  

  In the midst of an escalating diplomatic clash with Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, Colombian president Alvaro Uribe said he disavows any aggressive international speech towards Venezuela.

• Thursday, December 31st 2009 - 04:47 UTC

  Sub zero temperatures across Britain will welcome the New Year

  

  Revellers are gearing up to give a warm welcome to 2010 even though sub-zero temperatures are expected across Britain. Final preparations are being made for huge fireworks displays to usher in the New Year in London and Glasgow.

• Thursday, December 31st 2009 - 04:35 UTC

  Amsterdam airport to install full-body scanners for flights to US

  

  Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport will begin using full-body scanners within three weeks to scan people travelling to the United States after consultations with US authorities, the Dutch interior minister said on Wednesday.