International

• Tuesday, October 18th 2016 - 07:32 UTC

  Spain asks Latin American countries support for Gibraltar's sovereignty claim

  

  Spain has, for the first time ever, asked the annual Iberian-Latin American Summit for its support on the Gibraltar sovereignty question. It has asked the Colombian Government, as the organizers of the 28/29 October event to circulate the text for the summit to adopt a resolution for the resumption of sovereignty talks over Gibraltar.

• Monday, October 17th 2016 - 19:25 UTC

  Historic agreement to phase down HFC gases in air conditioners and refrigerators

  

  Negotiators from nearly 200 nations reached a historic deal to phase down emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) — potent greenhouse gases used in air conditioners and refrigerators. The agreement, a major expansion of the 1987 Montreal Protocol, which eliminated the use of the ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons, was finalized during a United Nations meeting in Kigali, Rwanda.

• Monday, October 17th 2016 - 19:02 UTC

  TB remains the leading infection killer in the world; global efforts to end the epidemic are falling far short

  

  New data published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its 2016 Global Tuberculosis (TB) Report show that countries need to move much faster to prevent, detect and treat the disease if they are to meet global targets. Governments have agreed on targets to end the TB epidemic both at the World Health Assembly and at the United Nations General Assembly within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals.

• Monday, October 17th 2016 - 10:04 UTC

  The Sunday Times reveals unpublished Boris Johnson's pro-Remain column

  

  Current Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said the UK remaining in the EU would be a “boon for the world and for Europe”, a previously unpublished newspaper column reveals. He wrote the column in February, along with a pro-Brexit article that was later published in The Telegraph. Boris Johnson subsequently became a leading figure in the campaign to leave the European Union.

• Monday, October 17th 2016 - 09:47 UTC

  BRICS summit, despite drawbacks ends optimistic and vows to deepen economic engagement

  

  Amid fears of threats posed by protectionism, the BRICS countries have vowed to deepen economic engagement, tackle the global economic slowdown, and combat cross border terrorism. The leaders of the five emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa wrapped up a summit Sunday in Goa, in western India.

• Monday, October 17th 2016 - 09:34 UTC

  Global momentum to protect the Antarctic Ocean builds as international talks begin in Hobart

  

  The Antarctic Ocean Alliance is calling on nations to secure the future of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean, at the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) currently meeting in Hobart, Australia. This week, representatives from 25 governments are gathering in Hobart to address three proposed marine protected areas, amounting to more than five million square kilometers of Antarctic waters.

• Monday, October 17th 2016 - 06:28 UTC

  Uruguayan scientists on HMS Protector en route to Antarctica for a joint research project

  

  Two Uruguayan young scientists are on board Ice Patrol HMS Protector en route to the Falkland Islands and Antarctica and will be participating in a research program on human impact on the Antarctic marine environment including pollution mainly by plastic made products. Federico Weinstein and Carolina Rodríguez belong to the Faculty of Sciences and represent the resumption of long standing links between the Ice Patrol and Montevideo.

• Sunday, October 16th 2016 - 06:18 UTC

  Argentina 'upset and disappointed' with UK military exercises in Falklands but insists with dialogue

  

  The Argentine government feels “upset and deeply disappointed” with the announced British military exercises in the Falklands/Malvinas, which includes the launching of missiles, but nevertheless the government will continue working “to build the opportunity of a dialogue which eliminates the presumptions of conflict” with the UK, said foreign minister Susana Malcorra on Saturday in the Vatican.

• Saturday, October 15th 2016 - 10:37 UTC

  Maldives quits the Commonwealth over rule of the law and democracy dispute

  

  Maldives ministry of foreign affairs announced on Friday its decision to quit the Commonwealth of Nations after the organization issued a warning to the country that it could be suspended because of its failure to promote the rule of the law and democracy.

• Saturday, October 15th 2016 - 10:20 UTC

  Gibraltar takes its “Brexit” concerns to the Scotland's ruling party conference

  

  Gibraltar Deputy Chief Minister Dr. Joseph Garcia has said it should be possible for different parts of the British family of nations to enjoy varying degrees of participation with the European Union in the future. Dr. Garcia was speaking in Glasgow during the Scottish National Party conference, in the presence of Scotland’s Minister for Europe and International Development Dr. Alisdair Allan MSP.