Politics

Thursday, October 29th 2009 - 07:08 UTC
Ecuador ratifies Mercosur “democratic clause”

Ecuador ratified this week support to Mercosur democratic commitment or “democratic clause” which automatically throws out any country member which violates such a commitment.
Thursday, October 29th 2009 - 06:58 UTC
British MPs nervous about plans to “clean up” Parliament expenses excesses

The man brought in by British Primer Minister Gordon Brown to clean up Parliament does not live in the real world, an MP has said. Sir Christopher Kelly, chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, does not know the hours MPs work or what kind of job they do, said Conservative MP Roger Gale.
Thursday, October 29th 2009 - 06:54 UTC
EC approves UK’s Northern Rock split into a “good” bank and a “bad” bank

The European Commission has approved the Government's plans for splitting United Kingdom’s Northern Rock in two: a “good” bank and a “bad” bank. The “good” bank will continue Northern Rock's economic activities, while the “bad” bank will become in effect an asset management company running down the remaining toxic assets.
Thursday, October 29th 2009 - 06:48 UTC
Spanish mayor promises closer people to people relations with Gibraltar

Alejandro Sanchez the newly elected mayor of La Linea, the Spanish city next to Gibraltar, has declared he wants to intensify cross border relations and foster increased contacts between groups, associations and professional bodies on both sides of the frontier.
Thursday, October 29th 2009 - 03:27 UTC
“Efficiency”, the watchword for Chile’s Berlusconi, according to FT

Chilean Conservative presidential candidate, billionaire Sebastián Piñera is described as Chile’s Berlusconi in an article from the Financial Times (FT), which also underlines his lead in public opinion polls and the growing problems faced by the ruling coalition after 19 years in office.
Thursday, October 29th 2009 - 02:42 UTC
Overwhelming UN vote calling an end to US embargo on Cuba

The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to call for an end to the US embargo on Cuba. The vote was cast at the 192-member General Assembly with 187 in favour, three against and two abstentions. This is the 18th year that the General Assembly voted to urge an end to the U.S. embargo.
Wednesday, October 28th 2009 - 09:59 UTC
Arrival of top US and OAS officials could anticipate end of Honduras crisis

The scheduled arrival Wednesday in Tegucigalpa of two top US and OAS officials anticipates that the Honduran institutional crisis, following the ousting of elected president Manuel Zelaya last June and after months of negotiations, could be reaching a decisive moment.
Wednesday, October 28th 2009 - 07:18 UTC
Porous Brazilian borders feed Olympic Rio gangs with heavy weapons

The Brazilian Federal Police identified 17 places through which illegal weapons are introduced into the country, including most of those used by organized crime such as heavy machine guns capable of downing a helicopter as recently happened in one of the favelas, the shanty towns that speck Olympic city of Rio do Janeiro.
Wednesday, October 28th 2009 - 07:10 UTC
New Gibraltar governor ratifies UK support for self determination and defence

The new and modern Constitution “reaffirms the right of the people of Gibraltar to self-determination and the British Government’s commitment to uphold that right” said Sir Adrian Johns this week on the Swearing in Ceremony as Gibraltar’s 64th governor.
Wednesday, October 28th 2009 - 02:19 UTC
Brazil remains divided on Venezuela’s Mercosur incorporation

The president of the Brazilian Senate Jose Sarney reiterated Tuesday he does not support the incorporation of Venezuela to the South American trade block Mercosur, since “decisions from the government of that country represent a crumbling and deviation of democracy”.