International

• Saturday, June 6th 2015 - 09:29 UTC

  UK embassy in Chile launches month of activities to commemorate Magna Carta 800th anniversary

  

  The British embassy in Santiago participated in Chile's annual National Heritage Day, enabling hundreds to visit the official Residence and at the same time launched a month of activities to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta on 15 June 1215.

• Saturday, June 6th 2015 - 09:02 UTC

  UN invites world’s seven billion people to become agents of change on World Environment Day

  

  With many of the earth’s ecosystems nearing “critical tipping points,” the United Nations invited each of the seven billion people on the planet to mark this year’s World Environment Day by making one change towards a more responsible consumption of resources – “be it refusing to buy single-use plastic bags or riding a bike to work.”

• Saturday, June 6th 2015 - 08:31 UTC

  Ramsar convention in Punta del Este calls for healthy wetlands

  

  We join the rest of the world to celebrate World Environment Day from glorious Punta del Este, Uruguay, where we are currently meeting at the 12th Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The Contracting Parties have gathered and are very hard at work, to define a new Strategic Plan that will guide our commitment to conserve and wisely use the world’s wetlands, over the next six years from 2016 to 2021.

• Saturday, June 6th 2015 - 08:11 UTC

  OPEC holds production at 30 million bpd; markets react with volatility

  

  Crude oil prices were volatile after ministers from the Opec cartel decided to hold production levels at 30 million barrels per day. Brent crude traded in a narrow range around $62 a barrel, before ending the day up 1.8% at $63.15.

• Saturday, June 6th 2015 - 07:41 UTC

  South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands coat of arms anniversary featured on new Crown coin

  

  The Treasury of South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands have launched a crown coin which marks the 30th anniversary of the territory’s granting of a Coat of Arms by Royal Ascent. The Coat of Arms of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands was granted in 1985, upon the formal creation of the territory.

• Friday, June 5th 2015 - 10:17 UTC

  FAO's Food Price Index in May was down 20.7% from a year ago

  

  Major food commodity prices declined again in May, hitting an almost six-year low as cereal prices fell substantially amid a favorable outlook for this year's harvests. The FAO Food Price Index averaged 166.8 points in May, down 1.4% from April and as much as 20.7% from a year earlier.

• Friday, June 5th 2015 - 09:51 UTC

  Nestle withdraws Maggi noodles from sale in India following 'lead content scare'

  

  Food group Nestle has withdrawn Maggi noodles from sale in India due to “an environment of confusion for consumers”, following a food scare sparked by reports of excess lead in some packets of the popular instant snack.

• Friday, June 5th 2015 - 09:23 UTC

  The evolution of the oil weapon

  

  In the age of derivatives, swaps, and electronic money transfers, a new form of warfare has emerged: financial warfare. Recently, the US has passed sanctions on countries such as Syria, Venezuela and North Korea, but the majority of energy related sanctions passed have been targeted at Iran and Russia.

• Friday, June 5th 2015 - 06:33 UTC

  Falklands: Cristina Fernandez met Snowden in Moscow to talk about UK spying on Argentina, reveals BAH

  

  President Cristina Fernandez met with former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden when she visited Moscow in April, according to the Buenos Aires Herald. Snowden became world famous when in 2013 when he revealed the extent of Washington’s global Internet and phone surveillance.

• Friday, June 5th 2015 - 04:27 UTC

  Henry's handball blessed Ireland with US$ 5m and France a place in South Africa 2010

  

  The latest revelations of allegations of irregular payments by FIFA have brought Ireland, South Africa and Venezuela under the spotlight. In effect a FIFA official has admitted Ireland received 5 million dollars in compensation for missing out on a place at the 2010 World Cup after a handball by player Thierry Henry gave France victory and a place in South Africa.