Politics

Monday, June 8th 2009 - 13:09 UTC
UK electorate furious: trounces Labour and main parties system

Britain’s ruling Labour party has suffered its worst post-war election result as it was beaten into third place by UKIP and saw the BNP gain its first seats at Brussels. Labour's share of the vote at the European elections was just 15.3% - worse than party bosses had feared.
Monday, June 8th 2009 - 13:04 UTC
British far right party gains first seat (former Labour) in EU parliament

British Primer Minister Gordon Brown's hopes of political survival have been dealt another blow as the far right British National Party achieved a major electoral breakthrough gaining their first seat in the European Parliament.
Monday, June 8th 2009 - 12:59 UTC
Spain committed to resumption of EU/Mercosur free trade talks

Spain’s Secretary of State for Ibero-America Juan Pablo de Laigleisa begins Monday in Buenos Aires a visit to three Mercosur country members in preparation for when Madrid takes over the presidency of the European Union in the first half of 2010.
Monday, June 8th 2009 - 10:16 UTC
EC recommends UK/Spain “friendly accord” on Gibraltar waters dispute

Spanish diplomatic sources have said that the PSOE Government is willing to offer an agreement on the current dispute over Gibraltar territorial waters that sets sovereignty to one side and concentrates on issues of practical cooperation.
Sunday, June 7th 2009 - 13:51 UTC
Flight 447: Airbus 330 faulty speed sensors controversy erupts

Brazilian search crews on Saturday retrieved the first bodies from the crashed Air France flight 447 in the Atlantic, and investigators said faulty speed readings had been found on the same type of jets.
Sunday, June 7th 2009 - 13:43 UTC
Fighting in the Peruvian Amazon turns ugly; death toll in the fifties

Nine Peruvian police officers were killed Saturday after security forces regained control of a petroleum facility in a remote jungle region from indigenous groups that are protesting against logging and oil exploration rights awarded by the government.
Saturday, June 6th 2009 - 14:52 UTC
Poll shows Uruguay’s ruling coalition repeating next October

The Uruguayan ruling coalition could repeat in next October general election according to the latest public opinion poll released this week in Montevideo. Pollster Radar has the Broad Front of President Tabare Vazquez with a vote intention of 46.7% and the sum of the opposition parties with 40.1%.
Saturday, June 6th 2009 - 14:48 UTC
Nuclear sub joins Flight 447 search; Iberia tailing flight sheds some light

While France announced Friday it was sending a nuclear submarine to help find the flight data recorders of the Air France plane, which this week disappeared over the Atlantic, a press report in the Spanish press involving an Iberia plane on the same route but flying ten minutes behind could shed light into what really happened.
Saturday, June 6th 2009 - 14:38 UTC
Peru joins Odyssey/Spain dispute over recovered sunken treasure

United States treasure hunters Odyssey Marine Exploration were dealt a heavy blow this week after a Florida judge ordered the company to hand thousands of silver and gold coins to Spain. The case however could be exposed to another demand, this time from Peru which claims the original gold and silver came from the colonial viceroyship of Lima.
Saturday, June 6th 2009 - 14:24 UTC
Clashes with police over minerals’ rights kill 34 in Peruvian Amazon

At least 34 people have been reported killed in clashes in Peru between the security forces and indigenous people in the Amazon region protesting oil and gas exploration on their lands.