International

• Tuesday, December 4th 2012 - 20:36 UTC

  Gibraltar’s Picardo meets UK minister to discuss controversial Spanish legislation

  

  Gibraltar Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo held a meeting on Monday with UK Minister for Europe David Lidington in which they discussed their concerns over Spain’s purporting to pass legislation banning land reclamation and the offshore storage of fuel in Gibraltar waters.

• Tuesday, December 4th 2012 - 19:47 UTC

  Aberdeen oil firm secures exploration licences on Iceland continental shelf

  

  Aberdeen oil firm Faroe Petroleum has secured provisional exploration licences in the Dreki area on the Icelandic Continental Shelf. The company said the licences were “extensive”, encompassing seven blocks located inside the Arctic Circle to the north east of Iceland.

• Tuesday, December 4th 2012 - 19:31 UTC

  Falklands’ lawmakers at BOT meeting with UK ministers in London

  

  The Joint Ministerial Council met for the first time on Tuesday bringing together political leaders from the Overseas Territories and UK Ministers to work together on several issues including strengthening economies and the environment.The Falklands government is represented by members of the Legislative Assembly Jan Cheek and Sharon Halford.

• Tuesday, December 4th 2012 - 19:26 UTC

  Bill to end British throne discrimination against women and Roman Catholics

  

  All Commonwealth realms have agreed to press ahead with a bill ending discrimination against women in the succession to the British throne. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said the government would now introduce the Succession to the Crown Bill in the House of Commons as soon as possible.It means the first child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will become monarch, whether a boy or a girl.

• Tuesday, December 4th 2012 - 18:42 UTC

  Spain’s jobless almost 5 million and no prospects of a rebound in near future

  

  Spain's jobless grew to a new record in November, official data showed Tuesday. The number of people registered as unemployed grew by 74.296 or 1.5% to 4.91 million in November from the previous month, the Labour Ministry said on Tuesday.

• Tuesday, December 4th 2012 - 16:19 UTC

  For Spain’s Santander bank Brazil is number one and ‘absolute preference’

  

  Emilio Botin chairman of Santander Bank, the leading financial institution in Spain and among the top largest in the European Union said in Sao Paulo that Brazil is the “number one country in Latin America” and the absolute preference of his institution.

• Tuesday, December 4th 2012 - 05:41 UTC

  Brazil pays tribute to sexiest female bottom and crowns Miss Bumbum 2012

  Carine Felizardo, a curvy exuberant model from the northern state of Para was crowned Miss Bumbum 2012, a title rewarding Brazil’s sexiest female derriere. A jury of six women and five men picked the 25-year-old Felizardo among 15 finalists in the second annual edition of the contest, held in a Sao Paulo hotel.

• Monday, December 3rd 2012 - 23:08 UTC

  Argentina rejects complaint, accuses UK of illegal appropriation of Malvinas resources

  

  Argentina energetically rejected the UK complaint about alleged intimidation of vessels linked to Falklands/Malvinas activities as well as the awarding of squid licences in waters close to the South Atlantic archipelago.

• Monday, December 3rd 2012 - 22:23 UTC

  Peru makes its case before the International Court; Chile: no surprises

  

  Peru asked the International Court of Justice Monday to set a maritime border with Chile in a case that could greatly expand the amount of rich seas under Peruvian control off the two Pacific neighbours’ coasts.

• Monday, December 3rd 2012 - 21:17 UTC

  Argentine ambassador summoned over ‘intimidation’ to cruise lines calling in Falklands

  

  Britain summoned Argentina's ambassador to London on Monday after masked men ransacked the offices of a shipping company in Buenos Aires, a move the Foreign Office alleged was aimed at deterring ships from visiting the disputed Falkland Islands.