Politics

• Friday, February 19th 2010 - 05:18 UTC

  Lula da Silva’s bets all his prestige on Dilma Rousseff as presidential candidate

  

  “The Great Transformation” project takes off this weekend when the Brazilian ruling party of President Lula da Silva will be nominating his hand-picked candidate for the October presidential election, none else than cabinet chief Dilma Rousseff, 62.

• Friday, February 19th 2010 - 03:08 UTC

  US and Cuba resume immigration talks in Havana

  

  The US government confirmed that one of its top diplomats for Latin America will participate this week in Havana in a new round of talks on immigration issues with Cuba.

• Thursday, February 18th 2010 - 22:17 UTC

  Mujica administration plans to strengthen political links with the region

  

  Uruguay’s president-elect Jose Mujica, once instated next March first, will be visiting several countries of the region while his administration will attempt closer political links with neighbouring countries to facilitate trade, said Luis Almagro, the future Foreign Affairs minister.

• Thursday, February 18th 2010 - 21:56 UTC

  Falkland Islands’s Government says oil drilling round will commence as planned next week

  

  The Falkland Islands reaffirmed its right to develop a hydrocarbons industry and anticipated that in spite of disruptive measures from Argentina the oil drilling round will commence as planned early next week, “weather permitting”.

• Thursday, February 18th 2010 - 21:36 UTC

  Argentina looking for mainland business links of Falkland oil companies

  

  The Argentine government is looking into the British oil companies involved in the Falkland Islands exploratory drilling operation checking on their possible links to interests in Argentina (and if so the infringement of legislation of Argentine legislation), according to reports in the Buenos Aires press.

• Thursday, February 18th 2010 - 13:48 UTC

  Argentine consumers expect inflation in next 12 months to reach 30%

  

  Argentines expect consumer prices to rise 31.1% over the next 12 months, led by higher forecasts from the lower income category, according to the average estimate in a poll from Torcuato Di Tella University.

• Thursday, February 18th 2010 - 01:17 UTC

  Argentine protests Falklands oil drilling before the Rio Group and UN

  

  Argentina will be pressing next Monday for support from Latinamerica and the Caribbean, and on Wednesday at United Nations, in its dispute over the oil drilling round about to being in the Falkland Islands.

• Thursday, February 18th 2010 - 00:06 UTC

  Uruguayan main opposition leader praises pragmatism of president elect

  

  Uruguay’s opposition main leader and former president Luis Alberto Lacalle (1990/1995) praised the pragmatism of president elect and former guerrilla leader Jose Pepe Mujica who will be taking office next March first.

• Wednesday, February 17th 2010 - 23:55 UTC

  Greece defends controversial debt-swaps masterminded by Goldman Sachs

  

  Greece has defended a controversial deal that may have masked the extent of its budget woes and has annoyed the European Union. The 2001 debt-swap deal with Goldman Sachs was legal under EU rules, Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou told the Greek parliament.

• Wednesday, February 17th 2010 - 23:47 UTC

  Chilean president-elect criticizes Castro and reaffirms support of Peru, Bolivia

  

  Chile’s President-elect Sebastian Piñera affirmed that his government will strongly defend human rights once taking power on March 11 by giving much more attention to Cuba than did his predecessors from the centre-left Concertacion coalition.