Politics

• Friday, June 12th 2009 - 21:43 UTC

  Payments to Chilean businesses in Venezuela delayed

  

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has rescheduled his visit to Chile yet again, amidst growing tensions related to his country’s failure to make timely payments to 52 Chilean businesses – a sum amounting to more than 80 million US dollars.

• Friday, June 12th 2009 - 18:29 UTC

  Public opinion rapidly loosing enchantment with Mercosur

  

  Mercosur supports significant institutional deficits, lacks clear bearings, negotiations with the European Union are stalled and there is a devalued public opinion perception of the block, which is attempting to become a customs union.

• Friday, June 12th 2009 - 18:22 UTC

  Falkland Islands: Weekly Penguin News Update

  

  Headlines: “No place for claim” UK representative’s message to Argentina; Community Safety director: recruitment to begin overseas; Swine flu increase in Chile, Falklands still clear.

• Friday, June 12th 2009 - 18:02 UTC

  Bleak prospects for poor countries with global contraction of 3%

  

  The world economy is set to contract this year by more than previously estimated, and poor countries will continue to be hit hard by multiple waves of economic stress, said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick.

• Friday, June 12th 2009 - 17:39 UTC

  HMS Gloucester sets off for the South Atlantic

  

  The Portsmouth warship HMS Gloucester has been given a royal send-off ahead of her deployment to the South Atlantic.

• Friday, June 12th 2009 - 17:23 UTC

  Ecuador celebrates sovereign “defaulted” bonds repurchase

  

  Ecuador announced Thursday it had bought back 91% of its “defaulted” bonds via an international auction with drastic rebates of 65% to 70%. The amount involved in the operation was 3.37 billion US dollars.

• Thursday, June 11th 2009 - 11:16 UTC

  Argentina reaffirms rights on “Malvinas Sovereignty Day”

  

  Argentina condemned on Wednesday the United Kingdom’s negative to resume sovereignty negotiations over the disputed Falklands/Malvinas Islands, South Atlantic islands (South Georgia and Sandwich) and adjacent maritime spaces. June 10th, according to the Argentine calendar is Malvinas Sovereignty Day

• Thursday, June 11th 2009 - 11:10 UTC

  Brazil confirms purchase of 10 billion US dollars in IMF bonds

  

  Brazil will buy 10 billion US dollars of bonds issued by the International Monetary Fund to help the multilateral lender provide financing to countries hurt by the financial crisis, announced Finance Minister Guido Mantega.

• Thursday, June 11th 2009 - 10:12 UTC

  Spain warns about “delisting” and “colonialism by consent” at C24

  

  The Spanish Government made a short but sharp intervention at the start of United Nations C24 session stating Spain's “firm wish to renew conversations with the United Kingdom within the framework of the Brussels process”.

• Thursday, June 11th 2009 - 10:10 UTC

  Spain promises to boost stalled EU/Mercosur negotiations

  

  The financial crisis should be the springboard for a “leap forward” in negotiations for the association agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, said Spain’s Secretary of State for Ibero-America currently on a tour of Mercosur country members.