Politics

• Thursday, March 13th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Rice visits Brazil and Chile but leaves out Argentina

  

  United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Brazil on Thursday for a two-day visit to South America which also includes Chile but leaves out Argentina in spite of the fact President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in her inaugural December speech promised to improve relations with Washington.

• Thursday, March 13th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  UK legally obliged to send UN annual reports on Gibraltar

  

  United Kingdom is legally obliged to continue to send annual reports on Gibraltar until the UN General Assembly votes to remove the territory from its list of non self-governing territories, even if the UK believes that a territory has been decolonized.

• Thursday, March 13th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Taiana's number two resigns over illegal car imports scandal

  

  Argentina's ambassador in Italy Victorio Taccetti has been named Deputy Foreign Affairs minister to replace Roberto Garcia Moritán who resigned amid a growing scandal over illegal car imports. Minister Jorge Taiana's number two insisted his resignation was for “personal reasons”.

• Wednesday, March 12th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Ecuador's Correa Support to Chile in Peru Border Dispute

  

  Ecuador's President Rafael Correa wished Chile well in its maritime-border dispute with Peru that both countries have agreed will be resolved by an international court.

• Wednesday, March 12th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile revamps famed pension system

  

  Some 600,000 poor Chileans will receive monthly pensions starting in July under a law signed Tuesday by President Michelle Bachelet that plugs gaps in Chile's widely copied private pension system

• Wednesday, March 12th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina insists Malvinas next of kin fly to the Falklands

  

  Argentina promised on Tuesday to insist before the United Kingdom so that the (1982) Malvinas conflict families can travel to the Falklands by air for the opening of the Argentine monument at the Darwin cemetery.

• Wednesday, March 12th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  New constitution makes Gibraltar/UK relation not colonial

  Gibraltar Chief Minister Peter Caruana told the UK House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee that he believes that the New Constitution provides for a relationship between Gibraltar and the United Kingdom which is not colonial in nature.

• Wednesday, March 12th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina camp fury: no grain or beef trading for 48 hours

  

  Argentina's four main farmers' organizations have called for two days of non activity with no trading of agricultural products to protest the latest increase in cereals and oilseeds export levies. This means urban Argentina on Thursday and Friday will be exposed to limited supplies of beef and other produce.

• Tuesday, March 11th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina stops blind runner travelling to Falklands

  

  Argentine authorities have refused a charter flight permit to allow a blind marathon runner, --and his dog--, to fly to the Falklands to begin his seven marathons on seven continents in seven days quest aimed at raising funds for charity.

• Tuesday, March 11th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Ban Ki-moon praises success of Rio Group summit

  

  Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon applauded on Monday the outcome of this weekend's Rio Group Summit, which ended with the further resolution of tensions between Colombia and Ecuador.