International

• Monday, May 14th 2012 - 23:17 UTC

  Argentina writes to EU expressing “great concern” because of Spanish ban on bio-diesel

  

  The Argentine government expressed “great concern” on Monday following the decision from the Spanish government to ban bio-diesel “not produced within the European Union” from the country.

• Monday, May 14th 2012 - 19:16 UTC

  Spain's ‘indignados’ promise a great turnout on first anniversary, May 15

  

  Protests of “indignados” continue in Madrid and Barcelona in spite of arrests and members of the 15-M movement have promised they will not abandon streets and plazas until after the anniversary of the first protest in Puerta del Sol a year ago on Tuesday.

• Monday, May 14th 2012 - 19:11 UTC

  Germany prepares to receive Hollande but insists on tight austerity measures

  

  The European Union cannot amend agreed rules on tighter fiscal discipline despite voters' rejection of austerity policies in several countries, and France's new leader must understand this, Germany's finance minister said.

• Monday, May 14th 2012 - 18:29 UTC

  China opens its market to Chilean beef and lamb plus avocados and berries

  

  China has opened its market to Chilean meat, avocados and blueberries following the visit of Agriculture minister Luis Mayol who anticipated further discussions for the sale of live cattle and dairy produce.

• Monday, May 14th 2012 - 05:34 UTC

  EC brighter outlook for 2013: UK expands 1.7% and Euro zone 1.3%

  

  The slow economic recovery is in sight across Europe, the European Commission said on Saturday, with the UK in line for 1.7% growth next year compared with an EU average of 1.3%.

• Monday, May 14th 2012 - 05:31 UTC

  Fuel costs and Spanish recession hit British Airways-Iberia with mounting losses

  

  Rising fuel costs and the impact of Spain’s economic crisis left the owner of British Airways and Iberia nursing big quarterly losses. International Airlines Group was also hit by industrial action by pilots at Iberia as it recorded losses of 263 million Euros for the three months to March 31, against a deficit of 47 million Euros a year earlier.

• Monday, May 14th 2012 - 05:26 UTC

  Queen Sofia attends “on private capacity” Coronation celebration in London

  

  The Spanish Government formally protested its “displeasure and discomfort” over the state visit of the Earl of Wessex to Gibraltar next month. But Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Garcia-Margallo nonetheless confirmed that the Spanish Queen Sofia will attend the May 18, 60th anniversary of the Coronation celebration in London, but “in a private capacity”.

• Monday, May 14th 2012 - 05:08 UTC

  Huge garbage patch in north Pacific is creating changes in the ocean food web

  

  In a part of the ocean known as the North Pacific Gyre, human-produced plastic has increased 100-fold over the past 40 years, according to a new study. This is the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is not an actual floating island of garbage, but which is filled with floating bits of plastic, often fingernail-sized, mostly from the US west coast and from the east coast of Asia.

• Monday, May 14th 2012 - 05:03 UTC

  German opposition wins in the most populous state and finds their “SPD Angela”

  

  Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives suffered a crushing defeat on Sunday in an election in Germany’s most populous state, a result which could embolden the left opposition to step up attacks on her European austerity policies.

• Monday, May 14th 2012 - 05:00 UTC

  Town in Kent celebrates 250th anniversary of first recording of ‘sandwich’

  

  When John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, ordered beef served between slices of bread about 250 years ago he probably did not think his request would become a global convenience meal.