Politics

• Sunday, May 17th 2009 - 12:58 UTC

  To school for reading classes with Karl Marx and Che Guevara

  

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez approved last week a list of books for schools to educate young people on Socialist ideology and the Bolivarian revolution, reported the Caracas press.

• Sunday, May 17th 2009 - 12:55 UTC

  Uruguay scraps rules banning homosexuals from armed forces

  

  This week Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez announced that his government will “allow gays to join the armed forces” by scrapping military rules that define homosexuality as a disorder”.

• Sunday, May 17th 2009 - 12:51 UTC

  Labour voters support equals that of UK Independent Party, 17%

  

  The ruling Labour slumped to be neck and neck with the United Kingdom Independence Party in a poll as voters looked set to punish mainstream parties over the expenses scandal at the ballot box next month.

• Sunday, May 17th 2009 - 12:45 UTC

  UK to complain Spanish Navy incursion in Gibraltar’s territorial waters

  

  Britain will formally complain to Spain about the recent incursion by a Spanish Navy patrol boat into Gibraltar's territorial waters. The fisheries protection vessel 'Tarifa' entered British waters and deployed a small speedboat to carry out checks on Spanish fishermen off the east side of the Rock, reports The Gibraltar Chronicle.

• Saturday, May 16th 2009 - 13:43 UTC

  Mercosur junior members coordinate position for coming summit

  

  Paraguay and Uruguay are committed to the consolidation of Mercosur, in spite of the ongoing trade differences among its members, said Uruguayan president Tabaré Vazquez.

• Saturday, May 16th 2009 - 13:10 UTC

  British voters want snap election; Labour support down to 22%

  

  Almost two in three British voters believe a general election should be called as soon as possible amid mounting public anger about Member of Parliaments' taxpayer-funded expense claims, a poll has revealed.

• Friday, May 15th 2009 - 12:09 UTC

  Uruguay’s president calls for “deeds” and an end to Argentine pickets

  

  Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez called for “deeds” from Argentina and insisted that the administration of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner must remove the pickets which for two years have cut the traffic between the neighbouring countries in protest over the construction of a pulp mill.

• Friday, May 15th 2009 - 12:00 UTC

  Falkland Islands: Weekly Penguin News Update

  

  Sei whale washes up on Carcass. -
  
  ONE animal’s misfortune has become the gain of hundreds of others on Carcass Island.The body of an enormous sei whale was found dead with hundreds of giant petrels around it, when the island’s owner Rob McGill discovered it on Sunday.

• Friday, May 15th 2009 - 11:49 UTC

  Cristina plans to celebrate May 25th with Lula da Silva and Lugo

  

  Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will celebrate the May Revolution National Day in a city bordering Brazil and Paraguay where she expects to hold a presidential meeting with her peer-neighbours, according to the Buenos Aires press.

• Friday, May 15th 2009 - 11:25 UTC

  Bolivia says relations with Peru are at “high risk”

  

  Bolivia's president said relations with Peru are at “high risk” after the neighbouring nation gave refuge to two more former Bolivian officials accused in the 2003 army killings of dozens of protesters.