Stories for May 14th 2012

Monday, May 14th 2012 - 05:26 UTC
Queen Sofia attends “on private capacity” Coronation celebration in London

The Spanish Government formally protested its “displeasure and discomfort” over the state visit of the Earl of Wessex to Gibraltar next month. But Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Garcia-Margallo nonetheless confirmed that the Spanish Queen Sofia will attend the May 18, 60th anniversary of the Coronation celebration in London, but “in a private capacity”.
Monday, May 14th 2012 - 05:21 UTC
HSBC reports sale of affiliates in four countries to GNB Colombia for US 400m

HSBC reported the sale of its affiliates in Uruguay, Colombia, Peru and Paraguay to the Colombian group Gilinski, an operation involving 400 million dollars, of which 80 million for the Montevideo assets.
Monday, May 14th 2012 - 05:15 UTC
Former Brazilian president wins Human Sciences Prize for lifetime achievement

Fernando Henrique Cardoso, a Brazilian scholar turned president, has won the $1 million John W. Kluge Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Human Sciences, the United States Library of Congress plans to announce Monday.
Monday, May 14th 2012 - 05:08 UTC
Huge garbage patch in north Pacific is creating changes in the ocean food web

In a part of the ocean known as the North Pacific Gyre, human-produced plastic has increased 100-fold over the past 40 years, according to a new study. This is the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is not an actual floating island of garbage, but which is filled with floating bits of plastic, often fingernail-sized, mostly from the US west coast and from the east coast of Asia.
Monday, May 14th 2012 - 05:03 UTC
German opposition wins in the most populous state and finds their “SPD Angela”

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives suffered a crushing defeat on Sunday in an election in Germany’s most populous state, a result which could embolden the left opposition to step up attacks on her European austerity policies.
Monday, May 14th 2012 - 05:00 UTC
Town in Kent celebrates 250th anniversary of first recording of ‘sandwich’

When John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, ordered beef served between slices of bread about 250 years ago he probably did not think his request would become a global convenience meal.
Monday, May 14th 2012 - 04:34 UTC
Chavez one man show to convince followers his doing fine

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez strode, sang and gave a rousing speech on Friday in a careful show of vigour after his latest cancer treatment in Cuba fanned rumours he was dying five months before an election.
Monday, May 14th 2012 - 04:20 UTC
Unasur defence spending one of the lowest in the world: average 0.91% of GDP

Union of South American Nations (Unasur) member states released a report detailing each country’s military spending. Ministers and diplomats from the twelve nation regional bloc also pledged further military integration, proposing the creation of a Citizen Security Council.
Monday, May 14th 2012 - 03:49 UTC
Latam and Asia-Pacific plan closer; bilateral trade expanding 20% annually

Fast-growing trade and investment between the Asia-Pacific area and Latin America and the Caribbean have transformed the two regions into powerful motors for the world economy, with two-way trade hitting 442 billion dollars last year. The time is right to deepen cooperation so as to ensure future growth and prosperity, according to a new study.