International

• Monday, May 13th 2013 - 04:08 UTC

  German president in Brazil to promote trade and investments

  

  German President Joachim Gauck arrived on Sunday to Brazil with economic and trade issues as the centre of his visit. The trip to Sao Paulo marks the start of the Year of Germany in Brazil, which Gauck's predecessor Christian Wulff agreed on with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in May 2011.

• Monday, May 13th 2013 - 04:03 UTC

  Two Tory ministers prepared to vote for Britain to leave the EU

  

  Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has become the second cabinet minister to say he would vote for Britain to leave the EU if a referendum were held now. But, like education secretary Michael Gove, he said David Cameron must be given a chance to bring powers back from Brussels before deciding.

• Saturday, May 11th 2013 - 10:35 UTC

  UK ambassador praises Chilean judicial system in case involving death of British citizen in 1973

  

  This week a Chilean court found two retired naval officers guilty in connection with the kidnapping, torture and murder of a Chilean-British citizen in September 1973; UK Ambassador Jon Benjamin made a statement about the verdicts in trial of those accused.

• Saturday, May 11th 2013 - 10:26 UTC

  HMS Protector back in Portsmouth after a successful nine-month Antarctica deployment

  

  HMS Protector, the Royal Navy’s Ice Patrol Ship, has returned to Portsmouth at the end of a nine-month deployment to the ‘Frozen Continent’. Operating in the British Antarctic Territory, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands throughout the Austral Summer, the ship conducted three intensive work periods in the ice, and a fourth work period in the waters surrounding South Georgia.

• Saturday, May 11th 2013 - 05:43 UTC

  Spain received Queen’s message on Gibraltar and Falklands with “surprise and considerable discomfort”

  

  Jose Ignacio Landaluce, the ruling Spanish Popular Party MP and Mayor of Algeciras, said that the Queen’s message of support for Gibraltar (and Falklands) was greeted with “surprise and considerable discomfort” in Spain. His was the only reaction from any Spanish official to a statement that was warmly welcomed in Gibraltar.

• Saturday, May 11th 2013 - 05:39 UTC

  FIFA concerned over the construction of World Cup stadiums in Brazil

  

  FIFA has revealed its concern over the construction of six World Cup stadiums ahead of next year's finals in Brazil. A second test event at Rio's redeveloped Maracana stadium was recently canceled, heightening fears over the readiness of arenas across the country for this summer's Confederations Cup.

• Saturday, May 11th 2013 - 05:36 UTC

  Global food prices increased for third month running in April pushed by dairy costs

  

  Global food prices rose in April for a third straight month as surging dairy costs kept upward pressure on the FAO index, but cereal output is expected to be strong this year. Food prices spiked during the summer of 2012 as the United States was hit by a severe drought and dry weather plagued other producers. After falling at the start of 2013, prices have been rising again in the past three months

• Saturday, May 11th 2013 - 05:32 UTC

  Tory MPs challenge Cameron: insist EU referendum be enshrined into law

  

  A group of Tory MPs will attempt to force a House of Commons vote over a referendum on the UK’s European Union membership in a fresh blow to David Cameron’s authority. They have criticised the failure to include legislation paving the way for PM Cameron’s promised public vote on the EU.

• Saturday, May 11th 2013 - 05:24 UTC

  G7 divided on the austerity/expansion debate; US warns Japan on Yen policy

  

  The United States told Japan it would be watching for any sign it was manipulating its currency lower but Tokyo said it met no resistance to its policies at a meeting of Group of Seven finance ministers.

• Saturday, May 11th 2013 - 03:29 UTC

  PM Cameron should stop groveling to Obama and stand up for Britain over the Falklands

  

  The following article by Neil Gardiner (*) was published by The Telegraph - The British prime minister jets into Washington this weekend, for a meeting with President Obama at the White House on Monday. As I noted in a piece earlier this week, this is an opportunity for David Cameron to look like a statesman, not a cheerleader. His last visit to Washington was an embarrassment, with the British leader fawning all over the most left-wing and anti-British president of modern times, even de facto endorsing Obama for a second term as president.