International

• Thursday, September 12th 2013 - 05:07 UTC

  US Supreme Court on September 30 will consider if it hears Argentina’s appeal on hedge funds

  

  The US Supreme Court will use its Sept. 30 private conference to consider whether to hear Argentina’s appeal in a clash affecting billions of dollars in defaulted debt. The schedule, revealed on Wednesday on the court’s public docket, means the justices may say as early as Oct. 1 whether they will review a 2012 federal appeals court ruling that requires Argentina to pay holders of defaulted bonds if the country makes payments on restructured debt.

• Thursday, September 12th 2013 - 01:55 UTC

  Spanish government recommends Repsol ‘negotiations’ with Argentina over YPF

  

  Spanish Foreign minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said that the ‘best solution’ for Spain and Argentina on the dispute over the seizure of a majority stake of YPF from Repsol is “negotiations” and emphasized that Madrid will back Spanish corporations in what it ‘considers convenient’.

• Thursday, September 12th 2013 - 00:59 UTC

  Catalonia human chain demands Madrid a referendum on independence

  

  Hundreds of thousands of Catalans held hands in a 400-km human chain across their region to press the Spanish government to let them vote on breaking away and forming their own country.

• Thursday, September 12th 2013 - 00:37 UTC

  Tourism New Zealand picks Sao Paulo as base for Latin American activity

  

  Tourism New Zealand will open a new office in Sao Paulo, Brazil to serve as the base of its new Latin American activity. The announcement was made by Prime Minister John Key and the Minister of Tourism, at the Latin American Business Council lunch this week.

• Wednesday, September 11th 2013 - 23:49 UTC

  Chilean delegates at corruption-prevention forum in Panama partly financed by the Foreign Office

  

  Chilean delegates are attending a regional forum to discuss techniques for tackling corruption and collusion in Latin American procurement taking place in Panama City. The conference is a joint initiative of the UK Foreign Office, several Panama government offices and a regional Central America body established by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

• Wednesday, September 11th 2013 - 23:42 UTC

  UK distributes LIBOR fines paid by banks among military charities

  

  Almost £2.5 million to go to the British armed forces community, including those currently serving, veterans and families. Armed forces charities and good causes are to benefit from the latest tranche of funding from the £35 million Armed Forces Covenant (LIBOR) Fund, the government has announced.

• Wednesday, September 11th 2013 - 00:59 UTC

  “We will never concede one drop of our waters to Spain”, pledged Picardo on Gibraltar Day

  

  By Jim Watt - The Gibraltar National Day political rally organised by the Self-Determination Group for Gibraltar (SDGG) was held at Casemates square on Tuesday. On stage were local politicians, including the leader of the opposition, heads and representatives of other British Overseas Territories, including the Falkland Islands, British MP's from all parties and Mr Perry Stieglitz Gibraltar's man in the US.

• Wednesday, September 11th 2013 - 00:57 UTC

  Good news from China: manufacturing, retail sales and investment up in August

  

  China's industrial production increased by more than expected in August the latest sign that the world's second-largest economy may be on the mend. According to data released on Tuesday factory output climbed 10.4% from a year earlier. Retail sales and fixed asset investment also rose during the month.

• Tuesday, September 10th 2013 - 23:04 UTC

  US and UK dominate top twenty of QS World University Ranking of 2013

  

  United States colleges and universities have once again dominated the QS World University Rankings of 2013 with six prestigious institutions featuring in the top 10. The remaining four places have been occupied by British universities.

• Tuesday, September 10th 2013 - 22:59 UTC

  Bank of England planning polymer notes; five pound featuring Churchill expected in 2016

  

  The Bank of England is moving closer to ditching paper pounds and switching to plastic banknotes instead. It would follow in the footsteps of Australia, Canada and others. The central bank said it would ask the public its opinion before taking a decision in December on whether to adopt polymer pounds which also would be smaller than current notes.