Politics

• Thursday, April 9th 2009 - 08:22 UTC

  Spanish cabinet reshuffle with new Finance minister

  

  Spanish President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero announced Tuesday several ministerial changes in response to current political circumstances and to strengthen the Government’s hand ahead of assuming the European Union presidency in 2010.

• Wednesday, April 8th 2009 - 05:58 UTC

  Peru’s Fujimori convicted to 25 years in prison for human rights crimes

  

  A three-judge panel of Peru’s Supreme Court convicted former president Alberto Fujimori of human rights crimes committed by his government's security forces in the 1990s. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison on charges of murder and kidnapping.

• Wednesday, April 8th 2009 - 05:38 UTC

  First meeting of Uruguay chancellor with Hillary Clinton

  

  The coming Americas summit in Trinidad Tobago, bilateral affairs and regional issues was the long agenda addressed by Uruguay’s Foreign Affairs minister Gonzalo Fernandez during a meeting Monday with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the US State Department.

• Wednesday, April 8th 2009 - 05:21 UTC

  Fidel Castro meets with three US members of Congress

  

  Former Cuban President Fidel Castro has held a meeting with three members of the US House of Representatives. The event was his first known meeting with US officials since he underwent emergency intestinal surgery in 2006.

• Wednesday, April 8th 2009 - 01:59 UTC

  OECD removes all countries from tax havens blacklist

  

  The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) announced the removal of all countries blacklisted for alleged tax havens. “OECD welcomes recent commitments to the internationally agreed tax standard on exchange of information made by Costa Rica, Malaysia, Philippines and Uruguay”.

• Wednesday, April 8th 2009 - 01:51 UTC

  Joint Gibraltar Spanish cross-border procession for Our Lady of Europe

  

  Gibraltar’s Bishop has met a Spanish diplomat in the Campo de Gibraltar to secure Madrid’s help in the planning of a cross-border procession to mark 700 years of devotion to Our Lady of Europe. The meetings were part of a wider effort to finalise arrangements for the walk and associated events, reports the Gibraltar Chronicle.

• Tuesday, April 7th 2009 - 12:49 UTC

  Venezuelan and Japan leaders agree to deepen ties

  

  Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez agreed Monday to deepen ties in energy, investment and trade, with Japanese companies ready to participate in gas and crude production in the Latin American country.

• Tuesday, April 7th 2009 - 11:58 UTC

  First face-to-face talks of Raul Castro with US Congress members

  

  Cuban president Raul Castro has held talks with members of Congress in his first face-to-face meeting with US politicians since he became president last year. State television showed Mr Castro talking to members of the delegation, which is in Havana to explore ways of improving US-Cuban relations.

• Tuesday, April 7th 2009 - 11:34 UTC

  Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Ecuador sign defence accord

  

  Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Ecuador signed Monday in Asuncion an agreement for cooperation in security matters which not only involves “associating” for the procurement of equipment, but defence of sovereignty and territorial integrity and preannouncement of military exercises.

• Tuesday, April 7th 2009 - 09:31 UTC

  Alfonsin magic touch could help resurgence of Argentine opposition

  

  A majority of Argentine feels that the recent death of former president Raul Alfonsin which sparked such spontaneous support for the values enshrined by the “father of democracy” could contribute to the resurgence of the country’s main opposition party to which he belonged, according to the latest public opinion poll published in the Buenos Aires press.