Politics

• Saturday, September 19th 2009 - 09:52 UTC

  Last US forces abandon Manta military base in Ecuador

  

  The United States formally left the Manta military base in Ecuador on Friday at 9.00 a.m. local time, at a ceremony in which Ecuadorian authorities took full control of the Pacific Coast facilities.

• Saturday, September 19th 2009 - 07:28 UTC

  US/Cuba talks for resumption of direct mail service

  

  The United States and Cuba have begun talks on resuming direct mail service, which has been suspended since 1963. US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Bisa Williams is leading the delegation to the negotiations in Havana.

• Saturday, September 19th 2009 - 04:08 UTC

  Some of Mujica’s comments are simply “stupidities” says Uruguayan president

  

  Uruguay’s ruling coalition presidential candidate was strongly criticized by President Tabare Vazquez who described many of this comments out of place, and others simply “stupidities”.

• Friday, September 18th 2009 - 15:28 UTC

  Uruguayan president calls for stronger and more balanced Mercosur

  

  Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez called for an integrated Mercosur with a greater number of countries to make it more competitive overseas, but also demanded greater balance inside the group among members.

• Friday, September 18th 2009 - 11:52 UTC

  Falkland Islands: Weekly Penguin News Update

  

  Headlines: Typhoons have landed; A champion for the cause of first-time home buyers; Argentina snubs Islands delegates at world summit.

• Friday, September 18th 2009 - 11:29 UTC

  Argentina plans to reach agreement with “holdouts” and Paris Club

  

  Argentina plans to reach an agreement with holders of the country's defaulted debt in an effort to return to international lending markets, according to a draft of the 2010 budget submitted to Congress this week.

• Friday, September 18th 2009 - 06:11 UTC

  Argentina, a country of “paranoiac reactions”, and the Kirchners, “what a gang”

  

  “The Kirchners are lefties, but what a left, mamma mia, what a gang!” and Argentina is a country “of hysteric, mad, paranoiac reactions”. The comments belong to Uruguay’s ruling coalition presidential candidate, Jose Mujica and whom opinion polls show him comfortably ahead for next October’s election.

• Friday, September 18th 2009 - 03:44 UTC

  Brazil is not “a Venezuela that goes shopping in the world’s arms supermarkets”

  

  Defence minister Nelson Jobim said that Brazil “is not a Venezuela that goes around shopping in the world’s arms supermarkets”. Brazil targets policy on technical training and technology transfer so “we can develop a sound, autonomous defence industry”, underlined the top official from President Lula da Silva administration.

• Friday, September 18th 2009 - 03:41 UTC

  November elections, rapidly becoming the silent option for Honduras crisis

  

  Four of Honduras six presidential candidates have coincided that the coming November 29 elections are the best solution to the serious political crisis faced by the country since the constitutional president Manuel Zelaya was ousted in a midnight military and civilian coup at the end of June.

• Friday, September 18th 2009 - 03:40 UTC

  Gibraltar/Spain open border policy explains economic surge in the region

  

  Gibraltar makes an extensive contribution to the economy of neighbouring Campo de Gibraltar while it also benefits significantly from Spanish expenditure on the Rock, according to the main conclusions of an economic study published this week.