International

• Tuesday, February 17th 2015 - 19:24 UTC

  Mercosur intra-zone trade continues to slide; represents 14% for the block

  

  Trade among Mercosur partners contracted 12.3% during the third quarter of last year in annual terms, despite the fact overall trade of its members increased and despite the greater integration commitment of the group's original charter, points out the Argentine Chamber of Commerce

• Tuesday, February 17th 2015 - 07:09 UTC

  France ends HSBC Swiss private bank investigation; trials set to begin

  

  French investigation into HSBC's Swiss private bank over a suspected tax-dodging scheme for wealthy customers has ended, bringing it a step closer to a possible trial, a judicial source said.

• Tuesday, February 17th 2015 - 05:49 UTC

  Chilean city delegation visits UK to explore energy efficiency and new technologies

  

  A Chilean delegation representing the city of Antofagasta visited the UK to explore energy efficiency best practices and new technologies. The visit was an essential component of the “Action Plan for the city of Antofagasta´s Sustainable Energy Strategy” project that the British Embassy Santiago is currently supporting through the Prosperity Fund.

• Tuesday, February 17th 2015 - 05:27 UTC

  Lord Prescott strongly supports the return of Chagossians to Diego Garcia

  

  British ex Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has made a powerful intervention in the campaign to grant Chagossians the right to return to their homeland, reports the UK Chagos Support Association.

• Tuesday, February 17th 2015 - 05:13 UTC

  Brazil and Argentina agree accords signed with China will not affect Mercosur

  

  Brazilian foreign minister Mauro Vieira discarded that the recent agreements reached by Argentina with China can interfere with Mercosur, while his Argentine counterpart Hector Timerman said that the package of accords with Beijing will “actually benefit Mercosur”.

• Tuesday, February 17th 2015 - 05:09 UTC

  Rolls-Royce allegedly caught in the Petrobras bribery scandal

  

  Rolls-Royce has said it does not “tolerate improper business” after the Financial Times reported that the firm had been accused of being caught up in a bribery scandal in Brazil. Ft reported allegations that the company paid bribes for a contract with Brazilian oil firm Petrobras.

• Monday, February 16th 2015 - 09:06 UTC

  Researchers propose high seas fishing ban and concentrate on coastal catches

  

  Closing the high seas to commercial fishing could distribute fisheries income more equitably among the world's maritime nations, according to research from the University of British Columbia (UBC).

• Monday, February 16th 2015 - 08:20 UTC

  US icebreaker Polar Star rescues Australian longliner trapped in Antarctic ice

  

  An Australian fishing vessel that was stranded in Antarctic ice for a week with a damaged propeller is expected to make its way to New Zealand under its own power.The 63-metre Antarctic Chieftain longliner damaged its propeller after hitting an iceberg and was stranded about 1,500 kilometres north-east of McMurdo Sound with 26 people on board.

• Monday, February 16th 2015 - 08:17 UTC

  Desperate struggle in New Zealand to save tens of stranded pilot whales

  

  About 140 pilot whales that stranded themselves on a remote stretch of New Zealand beach have died, but conservation workers and volunteers are hoping the remaining 60 or so will survive after they managed to get them refloated, an official said over the weekend.

• Saturday, February 14th 2015 - 06:52 UTC

  London court rules English law applies to Euro-denominated Argentine debt

  

  A London court ruled on Friday that English law applies to a disputed case involving interest payments on Euro-denominated Argentine debt, making a payout more likely in spite of conflicting orders from a US court.