International

Monday, March 16th 2015 - 10:25 UTC
UK caught on the wrong side in a US/Beijing dispute over Chinese development bank

The US has expressed concern over the UK's bid to become a founding member of a Chinese-backed development bank. The UK is the first big Western economy to apply for membership of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) despite the fact that US has raised questions over the bank's commitment to international standards on governance.
Monday, March 16th 2015 - 10:16 UTC
EU also interested in close relations with Cuba; top European official expected in Havana

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has announced she will visit Cuba later this month. Ms Mogherini said Cuba was facing a very interesting period and the EU wanted to build on the momentum to “take the relationship forward”.
Sunday, March 15th 2015 - 02:19 UTC
The non humble fellow Argentines according to Pope Francis

Pope Francis during one of the several interviews motivated by his two years in the Vatican, also referred to his fellow citizens in Argentina, which he described as non humble and on the contrary rather vain and arrogant.
Friday, March 13th 2015 - 14:35 UTC
Iceland drops EU membership request; it had suspended the bid in 2013

The government of Iceland has announced it is no longer seeking EU membership for the North Atlantic state. Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson said he had already informed current EU president Latvia and the European Commission about the cabinet's move.
Friday, March 13th 2015 - 13:15 UTC
Scientists in China announce genetically engineered cows resistant to bovine TB

Scientists in China have said they produced a herd of genetically engineered cows that are better able to ward off bovine TB infection. The long-term goal of the research is to avoid the need to cull livestock by breeding disease resistant cattle.
Friday, March 13th 2015 - 13:06 UTC
Santander and Deutsche banks fail a US Fed Reserve “stress test”

Spain's Santander and Deutsche Bank have failed a US “stress test” designed to assess whether lenders can withstand another financial crisis. The review, carried out by the Federal Reserve, gauges whether the biggest banks operating in the US have the “ability to lend to households and businesses even in times of stress”.
Friday, March 13th 2015 - 11:02 UTC
Argentine Judge elected by peers head of the International Criminal Court

An Argentine has been elected by her peers to lead the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. Judges of the ICC, sitting in a plenary session, elected Silvia Fernandez de Gurmendi as president of the court for a three-year term with immediate effect, the organization said in a news release.
Thursday, March 12th 2015 - 11:45 UTC
Everyone is guessing when it comes to oil prices

Predicting and diagnosing the trajectory of oil prices has become something of a cottage industry in the past year. But along with all of the excess crude flowing from the oil patch, there is also an abundance of market indicators that while important, tend to produce a lot of noise that makes any accurate estimate nearly impossible.
Thursday, March 12th 2015 - 09:20 UTC
HMS Dragon calls at Cape Town's naval base for mid-deployment break

There is a permanent reminder of the Royal Navy's HMS Dragon’s first visit to South Africa as the destroyer upheld a 90-year-old tradition. A large painting of the ship’s badge, featuring her namesake mythical beast, adorns the wall of the cavernous dry dock where the Portsmouth-based warship spent her mid-deployment break, receiving some TLC after a four-month battering from the Pacific and Atlantic.
Thursday, March 12th 2015 - 01:11 UTC
Bank of England contrary to further cut interest rates to combat low inflation

Bank of England governor Mark Carney said it would be “extremely foolish” for the Bank of England to cut interest rates to try to combat low inflation. He reiterated comments made in February that the drop in prices was temporary and largely caused by the sharp fall in oil prices.