International

• Tuesday, March 31st 2015 - 11:47 UTC

  OAS General Assembly to be held in Washington following Haiti's declination

  

  The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) decided on Monday to hold the 45th meeting of its General Assembly on June 15/16 at its headquarters in Washington, DC, after Haiti declined to host the event.

• Tuesday, March 31st 2015 - 10:13 UTC

  Brazil ready to join China's Asian Investment bank; (Argentina any moment)

  

  The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, AIIB, seen as a challenge to existing institutions the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, has drawn a cool response from the United States, despite which European U.S. allies including Britain, France, Germany and Italy have already announced they would join the bank.

• Tuesday, March 31st 2015 - 09:24 UTC

  UK electoral campaign takes off; no party expected to win a clear majority

  

  British Prime Minister David Cameron paid a courtesy call on Queen Elizabeth II, then launched a most non courteous attack on his main political rival as campaigning formally began Monday in the most unpredictable U.K. election in decades.

• Tuesday, March 31st 2015 - 08:52 UTC

  Falklands' defense: Argentina formalizes complaint to UN and regional groups

  

  Argentina dispatched on Monday complaint letters to several international and regional organizations accusing the United Kingdom of further militarizing the Falklands/Malvinas, with an increased budget, alleging Argentina represents a 'live threat' to the Islanders in the British Overseas Territory and thus ignoring tens of resolutions calling for dialogue between the two sides on the Falklands issue.

• Tuesday, March 31st 2015 - 08:41 UTC

  Falklands' clearance of Argentine mines planned to restart in mid-September

  

  The Falkland Islands program to clear mines planted by the invading Argentine forces in 1982, is scheduled to take a break at the end of April, following a very successful task all along summer according to Guy Marot, Program Manager for the Falkland Islands Demining Program Office, as reported in the FIG's edition of February.

• Monday, March 30th 2015 - 09:34 UTC

  Carnival and associates to incorporate nine new cruise vessels by 2022

  

  Carnival Corporation enters into strategic partnerships to add nine cruise ships to its fleet over a four-year period starting in 2019; shipbuilders Fincantieri and Meyer Werft to each build next-generation cruise ships for Carnival Corporation through two separate, long-term partnerships, reports Maritime Link.

• Monday, March 30th 2015 - 06:58 UTC

  Falklands' oil industry advances despite the fall in oil prices, according to FT

  

  A recent piece from the Financial Times points to the fact that despite the remoteness of the Falkland Islands, the fall of international oil prices and the ongoing conflict with Argentina, this has not impeded small oil and gas companies from going ahead with exploration, and hopefully before 2020 production, in the Islands waters.

• Monday, March 30th 2015 - 06:47 UTC

  Citibank suspended in Argentina “until it revokes agreement with Griesa and holdout funds”

  

  Economy Minister Axel Kicillof said the suspension of Citibank Argentina, ordered by the National Securities Commission (CNV) financial watchdog, will stay in place until the bank revokes its agreement not to appeal US Judge Thomas Griesa’s ruling that interest payments on Argentina's restructured local law bonds could not be processed if the bank was allowed to make two one-off payments to help it exit its local custody business.

• Monday, March 30th 2015 - 06:32 UTC

  French local elections confirm come back of Sarkozy and containment of Marie Le Pen

  

  The far-right National Front (FN) made only limited gains in French local elections won by ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy's conservatives. The anti-immigrant, anti-EU party is likely to have won up to 108 local council seats, from holding only one currently. But they will have too few in any one of the 102 “departements” to control any of them, updated Sunday exit polls showed.

• Sunday, March 29th 2015 - 09:47 UTC

  Sea Shepherd receives unexpected help in the 100-day chase of poacher

  

  One of Australia's biggest commercial fishing businesses has joined forces with militant environment group Sea Shepherd in an unheralded bid to stop pirate fishing boats. David Carter, from Perth-based Austral Fisheries, said the company was joining forces with Sea Shepherd because it wanted to lend moral support to the group's efforts to stamp out poaching.