International

• Thursday, November 7th 2013 - 06:58 UTC

  Symbolic fourth bell returns from Wales to Chile's 14th Fire Brigade, 150 years later

  

  In another demonstration of the close links of Chile and Britain, members of the 14th Fire Brigade from the city of Santiago de Chile officially received the fourth bell of the old Compañía de Jesús Church which was completely destroyed by a devastating fire that also killed over 2.500 people in 1863, almost 150 years ago.

• Wednesday, November 6th 2013 - 09:06 UTC

  Brazil's worst rocket launch tragedy had French spies as 'potential culprits'

  

  Brazil’s intelligence agency monitored French spies it suspected of involvement in the 2003 explosion at a satellite launch base, the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper said Tuesday, and though it was finally determined they played no role.

• Wednesday, November 6th 2013 - 02:14 UTC

  Falklands: Argentina's call for dialogue and cooperation “rings hollow”

  

  Argentina’s call for dialogue with UK rings hollow, Romford MP Andrew Rosindell argued in a letter published in The Times in which he said that Argentine claims that the UK is increasing its military presence in the Falklands are false. Instead he argued that the presence there is the minimum necessary to defend the Islands.

• Wednesday, November 6th 2013 - 02:10 UTC

  Spain says Madrid and London reached an agreement on Gibraltar

  

  Spain and Britain have crafted a joint declaration on Gibraltar for presentation to the UN General Assembly, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said Tuesday. The text calls for Madrid and London to reach a definitive solution to the status of the Rock, “listening to the interests and aspirations of Gibraltar that are coherent and legitimate in accord with international law,” Spain's top diplomat said.

• Wednesday, November 6th 2013 - 01:45 UTC

  Gibraltar files complaint to EC because of Spain's 'disproportionate checks' to pedestrians at the border

  

  The Gibraltar Government has sent a complaint to the European Commission about the “disproportionate checks” being conducted by the Spanish authorities on pedestrians entering Spain. It follows the recent build-up of pedestrian queues over the past fortnight, reports the Gibraltar Chronicle.

• Tuesday, November 5th 2013 - 13:50 UTC

  Brazil consumer watchdog orders airlines to reduce 'abusive' domestic fare for 2014 World Cup

  

  Brazil's consumer watchdog Procon Rio do Janeiro branch has ordered five airlines to reduce “abusive” domestic fares during next year's FIFA World Cup. Avianca, TAM, Gol, Azul and Oceanair have been accused of inflating prices up to 10-fold during the June 12-July 13 tournament.

• Tuesday, November 5th 2013 - 08:02 UTC

  Brazil admits to its own spying 'ten years ago and to protect the national interest'

  

  Brazil which hotly denounced US surveillance of its leaders, itself spied on US officials as well as on Russia, Iran and Iraq a decade ago, the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper reported on Monday.

• Monday, November 4th 2013 - 23:50 UTC

  Gibraltar shared sovereignty 'a non starter for any negotiations' says expert in Spanish history

  

  The idea that one day Spain would share sovereignty in Gibraltar is a non-starter, according to Spanish Civil War expert and Madrid based journalist William Chislett. In Gibraltar for the first international Literary Festival, Mr Chislett gave his opinion on the developing cross-border political strife and also commented on the current political climate surrounding Spain.

• Monday, November 4th 2013 - 23:46 UTC

  Gibraltar clears EC test on tax and money laundering matters cooperation

  

  The European Commission has received no ‘well-founded’ complaints alleging Gibraltar’s failure to cooperate on tax, financial and money-laundering matters, according to Michel Barnier, the Commissioner for Internal Market and Services. In response to questions in the European Parliament, Mr Barnier also confirmed that Gibraltar was fully up to date with the transposition of EU legislation in all three fields, according to a report from the Chronicle.

• Sunday, November 3rd 2013 - 12:07 UTC

  Russia, Ukraine, China block plans in CCAMLR to create Antarctica marine reserves

  

  Russia, Ukraine and China are being blamed for a failure of plans to protect almost 3 million square kilometers of ocean in Antarctica. After two weeks of discussions behind closed doors, the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) has failed to come to an agreement on new marine reserves.