International

• Friday, March 1st 2013 - 06:39 UTC

  Be careful: Russia is back to stay in the Middle East

  

  Russia is back. President Vladimir Putin wants the world to acknowledge that Russia remains a global power. He is making his stand in Syria. The Soviet Union acquired the Tartus Naval Port in Syria in 1971 without any real purpose for it. With their ships welcomed in Algeria, Cuba or Vietnam, Tartus was too insignificant to be developed. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia lacked the funds to spend on the base and no reason to invest in it.

• Friday, March 1st 2013 - 02:08 UTC

  Ban Ki-moon calls for a more inclusive dialogue on decolonization

  

  With the world undergoing a “great transition,” it is time for a new kind of inclusive dialogue about decolonization, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said, calling for fresh approaches to resolve the situations of the remaining 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories.

• Friday, March 1st 2013 - 02:01 UTC

  Political challenges for the ambitious US-EU trade agreement to ensure Western preeminence

  

  US-EU plans to join forces via a free-trade agreement are taking on shape. During his Berlin visit, US Secretary of State John Kerry described the planned pact as a priority for President Barack Obama's second term and marked out the agreement as a key element in cementing transatlantic ties.

• Thursday, February 28th 2013 - 23:59 UTC

  Brazilian market suffers the impact of iron-ore producer Vale record loss in fourth quarter

  

  Brazil’s Bovespa-index futures declined with the equity gauge poised for its biggest monthly drop since May, after iron-ore producer Vale SA posted a record loss in the fourth quarter.

• Thursday, February 28th 2013 - 18:48 UTC

  Mastermind of 1963 “Great Train Robbery” dies in London

  

  The mastermind behind Britain's “Great Train Robbery”, a 1963 heist that turned its perpetrators into celebrities, has died aged 81, local media reported on Thursday. Bruce Reynolds died in his sleep at his home in London after a period of ill health, reports from news media which included the BBC said, citing comments from Reynolds's son, Nick.

• Thursday, February 28th 2013 - 14:13 UTC

  Falklands’ situation attracts attention from China involved in Far East Asia islands dispute

  

  Interest in the Falkland Islands’ dispute with Argentina, assimilated to the current Senkakus/Diayous islands situation in Asia apparently has not been limited to the quotes made by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe before the Japanese Parliament but also in another minor experience precisely in the Falklands and involving the Editor of the Penguin News, the local weekly newspaper of the Islands.

• Thursday, February 28th 2013 - 14:06 UTC

  Japan appeals to Thatcher Falklands’ resolve quotes in islands dispute with China

  

  Japan's prime minister on Thursday quoted comments by former British premier Margaret Thatcher about the Falklands War with Argentina as he spoke about Tokyo's acrimonious islands’ dispute with China.

• Thursday, February 28th 2013 - 06:00 UTC

  Benedict XVI admits deep trouble in the Church; next Pope before Palm Sunday

  

  Bidding an emotional farewell to a huge crowd gathered in the Vatican's St. Peter's Square, Pope Benedict XVI indirectly acknowledged Wednesday that his nearly eight years as head of the Roman Catholic Church have not always been easy.

• Thursday, February 28th 2013 - 05:57 UTC

  HMS Argyll briefed in Portugal on illegal drugs trade ahead of South Atlantic deployment

  

  South Atlantic patrol HMS Argyll has stopped at Lisbon to be briefed on the illegal drugs trade off West Africa in preparation for her Atlantic deployment, according to a Royal Navy release.

• Thursday, February 28th 2013 - 05:48 UTC

  Stunning images of Red Sea deep under grand-canyon discovered by HMS Enterprise

  

  The survey ship 'HMS Enterprise' nets stunning images of a Grand Canyon-style ocean floor hidden deep under the Red Sea. Discovering the 250 metre deep canyon after leaving the Egyptian port of Safaga the ship used her sophisticated EM1002 Multibeam echo sounder to create the 3D images, allowing the ocean floor to be seen for the first time.