International

• Saturday, December 19th 2015 - 02:43 UTC

  Rajoy rejects the idea of a grand coalition, German style, after Sunday's vote

  

  Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Friday rejected any idea of his ruling Popular Party (PP) trying to form a grand coalition with the main opposition Socialist Party (PSOE) after Sunday's general election, in a bid to stop emerging political forces Podemos and Ciudadanos from entering government.

• Friday, December 18th 2015 - 08:57 UTC

  Cameron hopeful of a more mature relation with Argentina but Falkland Islanders self determination is 'unmovable'

  

  In a Christmas message to Falkland Islanders, UK Prime Minister David Cameron is hopeful that the election of a new Argentine president “will allow us to move towards a more mature relationship”.

• Friday, December 18th 2015 - 08:36 UTC

  Putin looks to the mirror and praises Trump as “talented and outstanding”

  

  Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday described US Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump as “talented” and “outstanding,” welcoming his stance on Russia.

• Thursday, December 17th 2015 - 10:14 UTC

  Thatcher's possessions raised US$ 5m; ministerial box auctioned for £242,500

  

  The sale of late British leader Margaret Thatcher's possessions has raised £3.3 million ($5 million), auction house Christie's said on Tuesday. A model of an American bald eagle given to Thatcher by close ally and former US president Ronald Reagan fetched the highest price for an individual item at £266,500 after a flurry of bidding in person, online and by phone.

• Thursday, December 17th 2015 - 07:46 UTC

  Major WTO deal cuts tariffs on information technology products

  

  More than 50 members of the World Trade Organization signed an agreement on Wednesday to remove import tariffs on 201 information technology products, marking the first major global tariff-cutting deal in 19 years.

• Thursday, December 17th 2015 - 07:25 UTC

  Argentina recalls UN Resolution 2065 fiftieth anniversary and renews call for Falklands' negotiations

  

  Argentina's Foreign ministry recalled that on 16 December the country commemorates the 50th anniversary of UN General Assembly Resolution 2065, the first referred to the question of the Malvinas Islands.

• Wednesday, December 16th 2015 - 08:05 UTC

  Atlantic Patrol Tasking HMS Lancaster in Gibraltar

  

  HMS Lancaster, a type 23 Frigate is in Gibraltar for a few days to top up on fuel and supplies and allow its crew some rest and recuperation. HMS Lancaster recently completed a 9-month deployment to the South Atlantic where she conducted Atlantic Patrol Tasking, and made over 23 port visits in 18 countries.

• Wednesday, December 16th 2015 - 06:57 UTC

  Malvinas is central for Argentina, but 'there are a lot of other areas to work with the UK'

  

  Argentina's foreign minister Susana Malcorra said on Tuesday the Falklands/Malvinas sovereignty conflict “can't be sidestepped because it's a historic and central issue” for Argentina, although this “does not impede” acknowledging that relations between the two countries “have a lot of other areas in which we have to work”.

• Tuesday, December 15th 2015 - 08:09 UTC

  Falklands: UK company to help construct soldiers' accommodation blocks

  

  A construction firm from Grimsby, Fast-Form Systems has won a £200,000 contract with the British Ministry of Defense to support the construction of soldiers' accommodation blocks in the Falkland Islands.

• Tuesday, December 15th 2015 - 07:27 UTC

  FIFA signs first sponsorship deal (since corruption scandal) with China's Alibaba Group

  

  FIFA has signed its first sponsorship deal since the corruption scandal engulfed world football's governing body. The eight-year agreement with Chinese company Alibaba Group, the world’s largest online and mobile commerce company, is for the Club World Cup spanning 2015 through 2022.