Politics

• Saturday, July 17th 2010 - 06:28 UTC

  Caracas rejects Colombian claims guerrilla leaders ‘are tolerated’ in Venezuela

  

  Venezuela has rejected Colombia's accusation that Caracas tolerates Colombian guerrillas on its territory. The charge was “a desperate attempt” to undermine relations between the two countries, particularly with the incoming administration of president-elect Juan Manuel Santos, the Venezuelan foreign ministry said.

• Saturday, July 17th 2010 - 06:23 UTC

  Argentina proposes gradual elimination of Mercosur double charge common tariff

  

  Argentina proposed the gradual elimination of the Mercosur Common External Tariff, AEC, double charge and hopes the initiative will receive a first approval before Buenos Aires has to turn over the rotating chair of the trade group to Brazil next August.

• Friday, July 16th 2010 - 19:47 UTC

  Falklands FCO official steps in to help Islander mum and new baby home from Chile.

  

  A young Falklands mum, and her prematurely born baby, who found themselves immobilized in Chile due to documentation problems, have made it home thanks to a determined mother and a Government House official.

• Friday, July 16th 2010 - 07:54 UTC

  New UK government retakes Trilateral talks with Spain and Gibraltar

  

  The first set of high level Trilateral technical talks involving a UK Conservative-Liberal coalition government are to take place in Gibraltar next week, it was formally confirmed.

• Friday, July 16th 2010 - 04:50 UTC

  Cuban freed political prisoners request full citizen status from Spain

  

  Seven of the eleven Cuban political prisoners freed and flown to Madrid this week described conditions in Cuban jails, where they lived among rats and the threat of tuberculosis. They also requested Madrid does not categorize them as immigrants.

• Friday, July 16th 2010 - 03:55 UTC

  EU/Mercosur business leaders call for “ambitious and balanced” trade agreement

  

  Brazilian and European business leaders gathered in Brasilia urged their governments to reach an “ambitious and balanced” trade agreement between Mercosur and the EU, and give first priority to the conclusion of the WTO Doha round talks.

• Friday, July 16th 2010 - 03:46 UTC

  US Senate approves biggest overhaul of financial regulation in decades

  

  United States Senate has given final approval to the biggest overhaul of US financial regulation in decades. The reforms are intended to avert a repeat of the 2008 crisis that brought the world economy to the brink of collapse.

• Friday, July 16th 2010 - 03:29 UTC

  First Brazilian presidential candidates’ debate will be on internet

  

  The first debate between Brazilian presidential candidates will be done exclusively for Internet, with the backup organization of the country’s four most important portals which make up an estimated 95% of internet users.

• Friday, July 16th 2010 - 03:18 UTC

  Two and a half million Chileans live below the poverty line

  

  The numbers are startling: two and a half million Chileans are currently living below the poverty line, according to a new study by the Caracterización Socioeconómica Nacional (CASEN) 2009.

• Friday, July 16th 2010 - 03:10 UTC

  Argentina legalizes same-sex marriages including adopting children

  

  Following a long and tense debate among lawmakers, Argentina has joined the group of select few nations to legalize marriages between same-sex couples.