Politics

• Friday, October 23rd 2009 - 08:43 UTC

  Former Uruguayan military dictator condemned to 25 years in jail

  

  Former Uruguayan military dictator retired General Gregorio Alvarez was condemned this week to 25 years in jail for his involvement in the deaths of leftist activists and repeated violation of human rights during the 1973-85 dictatorship.

• Thursday, October 22nd 2009 - 10:51 UTC

  Uruguay’s presidential election next Sunday too tight to call

  

  Uruguay’s coming Sunday presidential election is proving to be more nerve-racking and difficult to forecast than anticipated, with the ruling coalition just a few inches away from repeating in spite of the falling performance of the main opposition candidate.

• Thursday, October 22nd 2009 - 08:04 UTC

  IMF is not the cause of Argentina’s poverty: “we are to blame”

  

  Argentina’s former cabinet chief Alberto Fernandez said the International Momentary Fund, IMF, is not the cause of the country’s poverty. His statements come in the middle of negotiations between the administration of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and the IMF for a possible understanding which could open the way for fresh funds for Argentina.

• Thursday, October 22nd 2009 - 01:37 UTC

  Gibraltar in OECD/G 20 offshore banking “white list”

  

  Following the signing of Tax Information Exchange Agreements earlier this week with Finland, Greenland and Faroe Islands, Gibraltar has now signed 13 such agreements, and has accordingly been transferred by the OECD on to the so called ‘White List’, Gibraltar Government has announced.

• Wednesday, October 21st 2009 - 22:38 UTC

  UK Home Secretary admits 40.000 rejected migrants are “missing”

  

  Ministers have lost track of around 40,000 migrants with no right to be in Britain, it has been revealed. The Home Office admitted the illegal immigrants should have left the country more than six years ago but could still be here.

• Wednesday, October 21st 2009 - 10:31 UTC

  Olympics’ Rio do Janeiro faces a seven year battle to clean the city

  

  The death toll of a weekend shootout in Rio do Janeiro shanty towns between police forces and drug dealers climbed to 25 with the discovery of several bodies, --one of them in a supermarket cart--, and the death of a third police officer from a downed helicopter.

• Wednesday, October 21st 2009 - 10:27 UTC

  Colombia demands reciprocity on formal non intervention guarantees

  

  The same way some countries want non intervention assurances from Colombia, Bogotá is also asking for certainties that its neighbours will not grant bases or refuge to guerrillas or the drugs trade, said Defence minister Gabriel Silva in an interview with the Brazilian media.

• Wednesday, October 21st 2009 - 07:42 UTC

  Mercosur review, top of the agenda for Uruguay’s next president

  

  It wasn’t an issue during the electoral campaign trail and hardly mentioned in political rallies but Mercosur is high in the agenda of whoever wins next Sunday’s presidential election in Uruguay.

• Wednesday, October 21st 2009 - 06:24 UTC

  Gibraltar rapidly complying with G20 criteria on offshore business

  

  British leading finance figures from the City of London met on Monday at the historic Drapers Hall to hear Chief Minister Peter Caruana’s message who said Gibraltar was fully committed and on time to meet the criteria being sent by G20 countries for offshore centres to continue in business centred on financial issues related to offshore centres and meeting the G20 criteria.

• Wednesday, October 21st 2009 - 06:15 UTC

  Nicaraguan Supreme Court opens the way for re-election of President Ortega

  

  The Nicaraguan Supreme Court has lifted a constitutional ban on re-election, clearing the way for President Daniel Ortega to run again in 2011 elections. The court's decision followed an appeal by Mr Ortega and a group of mayors.
  In July, Mr Ortega said publicly he favoured allowing people the right to seek consecutive terms.