International

• Friday, April 26th 2013 - 07:29 UTC

  Berlusconi emerges as the great saviour of the current Italian political stalemate

  

  Silvio Berlusconi, the three-time prime minister and two-time convicted lawbreaker seems to be the great victor in Italy by out-manoeuvring rivals during an eight-week political stalemate and becoming the key figure in talks for a new coalition government.

• Friday, April 26th 2013 - 07:25 UTC

  UK spring surprise: economy expands 0.3% in first quarter

  

  Britain has avoided falling into its third recession since the 2008 global financial crisis, after the economy grew by a better-than-expected 0.3% in the first quarter of 2013 compared with the final three months of last year, official data showed on Thursday.

• Thursday, April 25th 2013 - 22:39 UTC

  Barrick Gold considering suspension of 8.5bn mine development in the Andes

  

  Canada’s Barrick Gold Corp making a painful adjustment to a sustained slump in bullion prices, reported progress in controlling costs and said it planned further cuts in capital spending.

• Thursday, April 25th 2013 - 22:11 UTC

  A Brazilian or a Mexican will replace Lamy as head of World Trade Organization

  

  The next head of the World Trade Organization will be either Mexico's Herminio Blanco or Brazil's Roberto Azevedo, guaranteeing a Latin American nation will hold the top job at the global trade body for the first time, although they made it to the short list in previous occasions-.

• Thursday, April 25th 2013 - 21:51 UTC

  Economy minister and aides tell Greek television: “in Argentina we don’t discuss inflation”

  

  Economy minister Hernan Lorenzino became the laughing stock of Argentina when a video was revealed showing him suspending an interview with Greek television arguing that Argentine inflation ‘is too complex’ and telling his aides, ‘I want to leave’. One of the aides then tells the Greek reporter that in Argentina ‘we don’t discuss inflation’.

• Thursday, April 25th 2013 - 19:44 UTC

  Falkland Islands’ Desk in Foreign Office impresses visiting Chevening scholars

  

  Two Chevening scholars from British Overseas Territories visited the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London and were impressed at the number of staff focused on the Falklands and their knowledge and proactive stance towards the Islands.

• Thursday, April 25th 2013 - 18:46 UTC

  China confirms is has become Australia’s main client for beef and veal

  

  Australia’s beef and veal exports for March increased 5% year-on-year, to 87,742 tonnes swt, with the Chinese market again setting a monthly record high, at 12,320 tonnes swt (Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries).

• Thursday, April 25th 2013 - 05:46 UTC

  China to overtake US as main oil importer by 2014 says OPEC

  

  China is on course to overtake the US as the world’s top crude importer by 2014, as the Asian country’s growing refining capacity boosts demand and America’s fracking boom cuts the need for foreign oil, OPEC said in its monthly report.

• Thursday, April 25th 2013 - 02:49 UTC

  Falklands ‘is about people; it is not about rocks; about people self determining their future’

  

  “The Falkland Islands is about people; it is not about rocks. It is about people’s right to lead lives as they wish to lead them. As people in Argentina can: to live in peace, prosperity. It is about making their choices and leading their lives and having their home as an expression of their wishes, not somebody else’s wishes. They should be able to self-determine their own futures”.

• Thursday, April 25th 2013 - 02:09 UTC

  Bolivia takes Chile to the International Court of Justice to reclaim sea outlet

  

  Landlocked Bolivia sued neighboring Chile on Wednesday in the Hague before the International Court of Justice as it pressed a longstanding claim to recover land lost in a 19th century war and thus regain access to the sea.<br />
  Chile quickly responded that the issue was not negotiable.