International

• Sunday, November 29th 2015 - 08:58 UTC

  FIFA ethics committee recovers 48 of 65 watches handed at Brazil's World Cup

  

  FIFA’s ethics committee has recovered 48 of 65 watches handed out to football officials last summer in a breach of the federation’s rules. Parmigiani watches worth $26,600 each were left in gift bags for the 28 FIFA ExCo members by the Brazilian football federation (CBF) during the World Cup.

• Saturday, November 28th 2015 - 07:17 UTC

  Commonwealth summit opens in Malta; counter extremism top of the agenda

  

  Britain's Queen opened on Friday a two-day summit of leaders of the 53 Commonwealth nations in Malta. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm), held every two years, will focus on climate change, with talks on security issues also expected.

• Saturday, November 28th 2015 - 06:45 UTC

  “Tsunami support” re-elects Gibraltar Chief minister Fabian Picardo

  

  Gibraltar's incumbent Chief Minister Fabian Picardo thanked his supporters for their “tsunami of support” on Friday after he won a landslide victory in a general election.

• Saturday, November 28th 2015 - 06:17 UTC

  Falklands' right to self determination reaffirmed in UK's defense and security review

  

  The British government reaffirmed its support for the Falkland Islands and its right to self determination as part of the recently announced Strategic Defense and Security review 2015, which pledges an extra increase £12bn of spending on defense equipment - part of London's £178bn overall defense equipment and support budget during the next decade.

• Saturday, November 28th 2015 - 05:32 UTC

  Falklands/Malvinas link of future Argentine foreign minister

  

  A Falklands/Malvinas link has emerged from the naming of Susana Malcorra as Argentine president-elect Mauricio Macri Foreign minister. According to reports in the Buenos Aires media, UN's Ban Ki-moon Secretary General cabinet chief is not the only outstanding Argentine national working for the UN in particularly sensitive issues such as Disarmament Affairs.

• Friday, November 27th 2015 - 15:22 UTC

  Oil jobs lost: 250.000 and counting, Texas likely to see massive layoffs soon

  

  Crude oil just capped off a third straight week of declines, as WTI nears the $40 per barrel threshold. Goldman Sachs is once again raising the possibility of oil dipping into the $20s per barrel. That spells more pain for the energy sector. Many companies have already slashed spending and culled their payrolls, but the total number of job losses continues to climb.

• Friday, November 27th 2015 - 12:04 UTC

  Paris attacks: The terrorist strategy

  

  By Gwynne Dyer - As always after a major terrorist attack on the West, the right question to ask after the slaughter in Paris is: what were the strategic aims behind the attack? This requires getting your head around the concept that terrorists have rational strategies, but once you have done that the motives behind the attacks are easy to figure out. It also becomes clear that the motives have changed.

• Friday, November 27th 2015 - 11:07 UTC

  Australia's BHP denies UN report on 'toxic' mine spill from collapsed dam in Brazil

  

  Australian mining giant BHP says mud spilled by the devastating collapse of a dam at a Brazilian mine is not toxic. On Thursday the UN said the dam burst at the Samarco mine unleashed a flood equivalent to “20,000 Olympic swimming pools of toxic mud”.

• Friday, November 27th 2015 - 07:43 UTC

  US gaining influence in Caricom: signs US$ 165m in development assistance

  

  The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) signed in Guyana, this week, agreements that will see countries of the eastern and southern Caribbean benefiting from US$165 million in development assistance.

• Friday, November 27th 2015 - 07:23 UTC

  Falklands MLA hopes for ‘saner’ approach from new Argentine president

  

  Falkland Islands lawmakers have reacted with caution and expectation to the election of Mauricio Macri, ex Buenos Aires mayor, as Argentina's next president. He will succeed on 10 December Cristina Fernandez and twelve years of rough relations with Kirchnerism and constant intimidation.