Politics

• Friday, December 5th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Heavyweight Lagos quits Chilean presidential race

  

  Former Chilean President Ricardo Lagos announced he's not running in next year's presidential race, leaving the ruling but weakened centre-left Concertacion coalition without its main contender.

• Thursday, December 4th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Falklands dedicates new stamp issue to five penguin species

  

  The five species of breeding penguins in the Falkland Islands will soon be winging their way through letter boxes, appearing on a new issue of postage stamps – Breeding Penguins – which were released this week by the Falkland Islands Post Office.

• Thursday, December 4th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Commons office raid: Home Secretary stands by the police

  

  United Kingdom's Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has defended the decision to call in the police to investigate leaks from the Home Office. In a Commons statement, Mrs Smith again insisted she had no prior knowledge that Tory frontbencher Damian Green was about to be arrested in connection with the inquiry.

• Thursday, December 4th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Vazquez disgusted with disarray quits Socialist Party

  

  Uruguay's president Tabaré Vazquez decision to quit the Socialist Party sent shockwaves inside the ruling coalition. The news only became public this week although the letter was dated November 24 a day after the Socialist party rejected a presidential veto on a bill to decriminalize abortion.

• Thursday, December 4th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  President Sarkozy unveils 30 billion USD stimulus plan

  

  French President Nicolas Sarkozy unveiled Thursday a stimulus plan worth more than 30 billion USD to fight the economic and financial downturn. The French plan is the latest of a series of proposals by various European governments to earmark massive amounts of money to help reinvigorate their moribund economies.

• Wednesday, December 3rd 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  British built sub, first Chilean nautical museum

  

  Valdivia in the Chilean Los Rios region will become the final resting place for the Chilean British-built submarine “O'Brien” which is to be converted into a nautical museum, reports the local press.

• Wednesday, December 3rd 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentina denies cutting trade links with Iran

  

  Argentina has denied it is suspending commercial ties with Iran worth a billion US dollars annually. The Argentine Jewish news agency and several Argentine newspapers earlier reported the suspension.

• Wednesday, December 3rd 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Casa Rosada world stage for Cristina, Ingrid and Madonna

  

  US pop star Madonna met with Argentina's president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and former guerrilla-held hostage Ingrid Betancourt on Tuesday at the presidential palace in Buenos Aires where she filmed “Evita” twelve years ago.

• Wednesday, December 3rd 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Anniversary of the Battle of the Falkland Islands

  

  Next Monday 8th December 2008 the Falkland Islands commemorates the victory of the Naval engagements of 8th December 1914 on which day 6 British sailors lost their lives and a number of others died later from injuries received during the battle. 2,260 German sailors also lost their lives.

• Wednesday, December 3rd 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  USA: Democrats lost the chance for a 60-seat “supermajority”

  

  Republican Saxby Chambliss has won a run-off election in Georgia, denying Democrats the chance for a 60-seat “supermajority” in the US senate that would have enabled them to pass legislation virtually at will.Chambliss, the 65-year-old incumbent, defeated Democrat Jim Martin for the seat.