Politics

• Thursday, March 19th 2009 - 16:34 UTC

  UN pushes for ratification of global pact outlawing cluster bombs

  

  The pace of the ratification of a global pact outlawing cluster bombs must be accelerated to relegate the deadly weapons “to the pages of history,” Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro said Wednesday.

• Thursday, March 19th 2009 - 16:12 UTC

  AIG chief admits “distasteful” excesses but points to the Fed

  

  The boss of US insurer AIG has called the bonuses paid to executives “distasteful” and said he asked some recipients to return at least half. But Edward Liddy said the Federal Reserve knew in November of the 165 million US dollars bonus payments to executives that have caused such a furore in US.

• Thursday, March 19th 2009 - 06:19 UTC

  UK jobless 2.03 million, worst since Labour took power in 1997

  

  British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has expressed “personal regret” for every person who loses their job - as unemployment surged above the two million mark for the first time in 12 years.

• Thursday, March 19th 2009 - 04:44 UTC

  Falkland Islanders ‘have treated us kindly’ say visiting Argentine veterans

  

  ARGENTINE war veterans visiting the Falkland Islands have been treated with, “…respect and kindness,” by Islanders, Marcelo Gustavo Sanchez of Centro de Veteranos de Guerra de Lujan, told Mercopress.

• Wednesday, March 18th 2009 - 15:29 UTC

  AIG gives bonuses and challenges US president and Congress

  

  Huge bonuses paid out by ailing insurer AIG will be deducted from the firm's next bail-out payment, the US treasury secretary says. In a letter to congressmen, Timothy Geithner said 165 million US dollars would be taken from 30 billion the firm is due to get as part of its government bail-out.

• Wednesday, March 18th 2009 - 15:20 UTC

  Argentina prepares to take over US air industry plant in Cordoba

  

  President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner announced Tuesday she will send Congress a bill to re-nationalize the Military Aircraft Manufacturing Centre, a defence contractor currently controlled by US Lockheed Martin Corp.

• Wednesday, March 18th 2009 - 08:13 UTC

  Chile supports India as permanent member of UN Security Council

  

  India and Chile reaffirmed their support for a comprehensive reform of the United Nations including expansion of the Security Council to make the world body more representative, legitimate and effective.

• Wednesday, March 18th 2009 - 08:03 UTC

  Nobel Prize Krugman says US and EU stimulus packages insufficient

  

  The US economist and Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman said Tuesday that Europe and the United States should at least double their fiscal efforts in order to salvage the global economy.

• Wednesday, March 18th 2009 - 07:43 UTC

  IMF forecasts 0.6% global contraction this year

  

  The International Monetary Fund expects the global economy to contract 0.6% this year, according to forecasts provided on Tuesday by an IMF official in Lisbon.

• Wednesday, March 18th 2009 - 02:44 UTC

  Princess Anne to meet British ’82 veterans during Falklands visit

  

  THE Princess Royal will take the opportunity to meet Falklands War veterans when she visits the islands this month. She will, however, begin her visit to the Falklands and South Georgia with the unveiling of a plaque to open the extension to the Royal Falkland Islands Police Station.