International

• Sunday, August 4th 2013 - 21:08 UTC

  Iran new president picks technocrat cabinet and calls for dialogue on equal footing

  

  Iranian President Hassan Rouhani picked a cabinet of experienced technocrats as he took the oath of office, saying he hoped confidence-building with foreign powers would help resolve the nuclear dispute and ease international sanctions.

• Sunday, August 4th 2013 - 21:04 UTC

  Berlusconi supports coalition despite his court setback and conviction for tax fraud

  

  Centre-right leader Silvio Berlusconi has affirmed that Italy's shaky government, a coalition of his party with the centre left, must continue despite severe tensions after the Supreme Court confirmed his conviction for tax fraud.

• Sunday, August 4th 2013 - 20:58 UTC

  UK reiterates commitment to Gibraltar and calls on Spain for a political answer to differences

  

  The Foreign Office on Sunday reasserted ties with Gibraltar and its commitment with the British Overseas Territory sovereignty but at the same time called for a political answer to the current situation with Spain that is implementing disproportionate measures such as border delays.

• Saturday, August 3rd 2013 - 02:49 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez will chair Security Council debate on UN relations with regional organizations

  

  Argentine president Cristina Fernandez will be chairing next Tuesday a meeting of the United Nations Security Council that will be addressing the relations of Latam and Caribbean regional and subregional organizations with UN in helping prevent conflicts and restore peace, was announced by the Argentine ambassador Maria Cristina Perceval.

• Saturday, August 3rd 2013 - 02:38 UTC

  Foreign Office summons Spanish ambassador over delays at Gibraltar border

  

  The Spanish Ambassador in London was summoned to the Foreign Office in relation to delays at the Gibraltar border this weekend.

• Saturday, August 3rd 2013 - 01:41 UTC

  EU FTA agreements with Colombia and Central America became effective August first

  

  Free trade agreements, FTA, signed by the European Union with Colombia, and with Central American countries Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama became effective August first as part of the EU strategy to eliminate tariffs on trade with Central American and the Andean region.

• Friday, August 2nd 2013 - 04:05 UTC

  Argentina president of the United Nations Security Council

  

  Argentina assumed on August first s the rotating Presidency of the United Nations Security Council. Argentina was elected as a non-permanent member of the multilateral body by the General Assembly for the 2013-2014 term rallying unanimous support among Latin American and Caribbean nations.

• Friday, August 2nd 2013 - 03:55 UTC

  Brazil supports IMF aid to Greece and summons delegate back home to explain

  

  Brazil on Thursday expressed support for the IMF latest aid package for Greece, disavowing its IMF delegate who abstained in a vote on the issue. Finance Minister Guido Mantega spoke with IMF chief Christine Lagarde and backed the Fund's decision to release 1.7 billion Euros in rescue loans to ailing Greece Monday, his spokesman said.

• Friday, August 2nd 2013 - 03:49 UTC

  Lagarde again warns Argentina about the need for ‘credible stats’

  

  The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Christine Lagarde has once more requested that Argentina present economic figures based on “trustworthy and credible numbers and statistics”.

• Friday, August 2nd 2013 - 03:39 UTC

  Rajoy admits in Parliament mishandling corruption scandal, but won’t resign

  

  Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy apologised on Thursday for mishandling a major corruption scandal, but denied he or his conservative People's Party, PP, accepted illegal payments and rejected opposition calls to step down.