Tag: United Kingdom

• Monday, March 11th 2013 - 04:25 UTC

  Falkland Islanders vote with an eye on the US position on the dispute

  

  By Corina Goss (*) - Britain is hoping this weekend's referendum on the political status of the Falkland Islands will push the United States and other neutral governments off the fence in its territorial dispute with Argentina over the remote South Atlantic archipelago.

• Sunday, March 10th 2013 - 11:38 UTC

  PM Cameron fumble turns austerity and budget cuts policy into a national debate

  

  Prime Minister David Cameron was reprimanded by a budget watchdog for claiming that it did not see his austerity agenda as a drag on Britain's economy. In a speech on Thursday, Cameron said his deficit-cutting agenda was not responsible for the country's depressed growth rate which was instead caused by the financial crisis, the Euro zone's problems and higher oil prices - a view he said was endorsed by the independent watchdog.

• Saturday, March 9th 2013 - 05:35 UTC

  Falklands’ rights and sovereignty

  

  By Sir Peter Westmacott (*) - Where in the world can you celebrate Margaret Thatcher Day with five kinds of wild penguins? Nowhere but in the Falkland Islands, a windswept archipelago in the South Atlantic that’s about the same area as Connecticut but has a population of only 3.100. This weekend, these small islands with a big personality face a momentous choice: a referendum to decide their political future.

• Saturday, March 9th 2013 - 04:55 UTC

  Falklands’ referendum: Argentina admits impotence and claims UK acting with ‘ill-faith’

  

  Argentina blasted the UK over the coming Falkland Islands referendum claiming it is acting with ‘ill faith’ trying to introduce elements of distortion by changing the definition of the dispute under international law, despite all the pronouncements of the world community.

• Thursday, March 7th 2013 - 22:10 UTC

  UK defense budget cuts becomes a major debate even for the ruling coalition

  

  UK Defense budget cuts are rapidly becoming a controversial issue even among members of the current ruling coalition. An article from The Telegraph by Deputy Political Editor James Kirkup points out to reactions from the Commons Defense Committee to further pruning defense which would force Britain to break its promises to the NATO alliance and put the Special Relationship with the US at risk.

• Wednesday, March 6th 2013 - 10:59 UTC

  As president for 14 years, “Chavez left a lasting impression on Venezuela and more widely”

  

  The UK Foreign secretary has paid tribute to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who he said left a “lasting impression” on his country. Chavez, 58, died on Tuesday after being seriously ill with cancer, ending his 14-year rule.

• Tuesday, March 5th 2013 - 16:52 UTC

  Libor rate-rigging: UK regulator failed to act on warnings of “low-balling”

  

  The UK Financial Services Authority repeatedly failed to act on warnings that banks were trying to rig inter-bank lending rates (mainly Libor) at height of the financial crisis, according to an internal review published Tuesday by the regulator.

• Tuesday, March 5th 2013 - 00:39 UTC

  The Falklanders will speak clearly

  

  The Globe and Mail (*) editorial published Sunday, March - As a country that with some justice prides itself as a global beacon for democracy, the United States should abandon its equivocation over the status of the Falkland Islands and agree to throw its considerable weight behind the winner of the referendum asking Islanders whether they wish to remain a UK overseas territory.

• Tuesday, March 5th 2013 - 00:09 UTC

  Argentina dismisses referendum; warns Falklands’ oil industry “unfeasible” without regional ties

  

  The referendum on the fate of the Falkland Islands is a publicity stunt with no legal status, Argentina's ambassador to Britain said on Monday, warning that oil exploitation around the territory was impossible without better regional ties.

• Monday, March 4th 2013 - 06:41 UTC

  Independence party strikes serious setback for PM Cameron in by-election

  

  British Prime Minister David Cameron was under pressure after his Conservatives were beaten into third place in a key election last March first, by his scandal-hit coalition partners and a Euro-skeptic party.