International

• Thursday, July 16th 2015 - 09:15 UTC

  CFK and Morales unveil a 16 meters high statue of independence heroine

  

  The presidents of Argentina and Bolivia have unveiled a statue of Bolivian war of independence heroine Juana Azurduy. The 25-ton, 16-meter-high statue replaces a controversial statue of Christopher Columbus that was taken down in 2013 after ninety years.

• Thursday, July 16th 2015 - 08:15 UTC

  Aphids beat latest 'odor' efforts to repel them and protect GM crops

  

  In what is described as a major blow to genetic modification of crops, a variety of wheat developed in the UK to repel pests has failed in field trials. The variety engineered to produce an odor that repels aphids, failed in the field test after it was successfully tested in the lab, proving a wide gap between lab and commercial application of the process.

• Thursday, July 16th 2015 - 07:52 UTC

  “Cordial” meeting of Gibraltar Chief minister and C24 chairman Lasso Mendoza

  

  Chief Minister Fabian Picardo explained in detail Gibraltar’s views on self-determination during a ‘cordial’ meeting with Ecuadorian diplomat Xavier Lasso Mendoza, the Chairman of the United Nations Decolonization Committee of 24, in New York on Tuesday, reports the Gibraltar Chronicle.

• Wednesday, July 15th 2015 - 07:51 UTC

  US female will take the helm of 91.000-ton Celebrity Summit in August

  

  For the first time in the cruise industry, an American female will take the helm of a mega-ton cruise ship. At 37 years of age, San Francisco native Kate McCue will command Celebrity Summit, a 91,000-ton, 965-foot ship in the Celebrity Cruises fleet, sailing between the eastern United States and Bermuda. As Captain, she will be responsible for the navigation of the ship and the onboard experience of its 2,158 guests and 952 crew members.

• Wednesday, July 15th 2015 - 06:53 UTC

  Exposed C24 chairman agrees to receive Gibraltar's Picardo to match a meeting with Spanish minister

  

  Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo is in New York for a meeting with the Chairman of the UN’s Decolonization Committee of 24, ambassador Xavier Lasso Mendoza. The meeting arose from the Chief Minister’s intervention before the C24 last month, during which the Ecuadorian diplomat confirmed he had met with a Spanish government minister to discuss Gibraltar, according or a report from the Gibraltar Chronicle.

• Wednesday, July 15th 2015 - 06:40 UTC

  Greek parliament must vote on Wednesday Euro zone bailout conditions

  

  Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says he does not believe in a bailout offered by Euro zone leaders, but is willing to implement it. Tsipras described the deal as “harsh”, but said it was the only way for Greece to remain in the Euro.

• Wednesday, July 15th 2015 - 06:33 UTC

  Relief from China as economy expands 7% in second quarter from a year ago

  

  Growth in the world's second largest economy, China, beat expectations in the second quarter, but it was still the weakest showing since the global financial crisis. The economy grew 7% from a year ago - matching growth in the first three months of the year, which was the lowest since 2009 when it fell to 6.6%.

• Tuesday, July 14th 2015 - 06:52 UTC

  China's exports in June rise, but imports fall for the eighth month running

  

  Exports in the world's second largest economy, China, have risen, ending three months of decline in June. Exports rose 2.1% in Yuan-denominated terms compared with a year ago, up to 1.17tn Yuan ($187bn).

• Monday, July 13th 2015 - 09:03 UTC

  The Peronist pope: Francis’s balancing act in Latin America, according to The Economist

  

  Under the heading of “The Peronist pope”, The Economist has a piece on “Francis's balancing act in Latin America” dedicated to the eight day tour of three of the continent's poorest countries, but with the largest percentages of Catholics. But for Francis it is also a delicate balancing act since several current leaders in the region tend to blend the Church's 'option for the poor' with Marxist ideology.

• Monday, July 13th 2015 - 08:58 UTC

  “A faith without solidarity, is a dead faith”, Francis tells a mass of over a million people

  

  Pope Francis, wrapping up on Sunday his three-country tour of South America, urged people living in a flood-prone shantytown in Paraguay to stay united in their struggle for better living and working conditions.