International

• Wednesday, January 8th 2014 - 05:58 UTC

  Germany's Wintershall joins Patagonia's Vaca Muerta shale gas and oil rush

  

  Germany's Wintershall signed on Tuesday a farm-in contract with the Argentine Patagonia province of Neuquén to explore Vaca Muerta’s shale gas and oil field. Under the terms of the joint-venture agreement Wintershall together with Gas & Petroleo de Neuquen will explore and develop the Aguada Federal block and are committed to invest 80 million Euros.

• Tuesday, January 7th 2014 - 23:58 UTC

  Record 496 Spanish incursions into Gibraltar waters, says the Foreign Office

  

  The Sunday Telegraph reported a record number of Spanish incursions into Gibraltar waters last year, but its calculations in fact fell short of the final total, reports the Gibraltar Chronicle.

• Tuesday, January 7th 2014 - 23:48 UTC

  Earth's gassy twin has been discovered in another solar system 200 light years away

  

  Earth’s gassy twin has been discovered in another solar system 200 light years away. The planet, known as KOI-314c, weighs the same as the Earth but is 60% larger, leading scientists to suspect it has a thick gaseous atmosphere.

• Tuesday, January 7th 2014 - 06:09 UTC

  Main threat to world economy in 2014 is not the Euro-zone but China, says Soros

  

  George Soros says stop worrying about the Euro-zone and look at the slower growth in China. The hedge fund boss, who built his fortune betting on the world’s money markets, is concerned that twenty years of rapid growth is about to run out of steam.

• Monday, January 6th 2014 - 19:47 UTC

  Merkel fractures her pelvis skiing and calls off foreign visits

  

  German Chancellor Angela Merkel has fractured her pelvis in a cross-country skiing accident and is walking with the help of crutches, forcing her to call off some foreign visits and official appointments, her spokesman has said.

• Monday, January 6th 2014 - 19:37 UTC

  Beckham to play for Argentina's River Plate for six months: 'why not?'

  

  The great English player David Beckham could come out of retirement and sign a short term deal for Argentine giants River Plate, reports Argentine website Diario Veloz.

• Monday, January 6th 2014 - 19:17 UTC

  King of Spain admitted in 1983 advances in Gibraltar would reactivate Moroccan Ceuta claims

  

  As negotiations over Spain’s entry to the European Union grew tense in 1983, King Juan Carlos twice told British officials it was not to Spain’s advantage to recover Gibraltar, according to newly declassified documents released to the UK National Archives.

• Monday, January 6th 2014 - 19:13 UTC

  Record Spanish incursions into Gibraltar waters in the last twelve months

  

  Spain has made a record number of illegal incursions into Gibraltar waters in the past year, new figures show. The Sunday Telegraph said the figures capped a 12 month period in which relations between the Rock and Madrid “reached their lowest ebb since the rule of General Francisco Franco.”

• Monday, January 6th 2014 - 19:07 UTC

  RAF Tornado fighter jets fly with parts made using 3D printing technology

  

  Royal Air Force Tornado fighter jets have flown with parts made using 3D printing technology for the first time, defense company BAE Systems has said. The metal components were used in test flights from the firm's airfield at Warton, Lancashire, late last month.

• Monday, January 6th 2014 - 06:36 UTC

  Falkland Islands: Tory MPs furious with Cameron over aid programs to Argentina

  

  Even when there has been no official reply from London to Argentina's message to mark the 181th anniversary (January 3) of what it considers “the usurpation of our Malvinas Islands”, there was a strong reaction from Tory MPs when it was revealed that UK contributes several million pounds in aid programs to Argentina.