International

Tuesday, August 14th 2012 - 07:42 UTC
Pope’s former butler and a computer expert to stand trial for “aggravated theft”

Vatican magistrate ordered Pope Benedict's former butler to stand trial on charges of aggravated theft for leaking documents alleging corruption in the Vatican. In a 35-page document on the case which has rocked the Holy See since Paolo Gabriele was arrested last May, the Vatican also charged a computer expert who worked in the Vatican bureaucracy with involvement in the case, the first mention of a second man.
Monday, August 13th 2012 - 23:14 UTC
HMS Dauntless in Falklands after spending four months in West Africa

The Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless arrived last week to the Falkland Islands in the last leg of its six month deployment in the South Atlantic, spending most of the time along the West African coast.
Monday, August 13th 2012 - 22:04 UTC
HMS Edinburgh and HMS York on sale; “illustrious names to be mothballed”

The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence’s Disposal Services Authority has put the Royal Navy ship HMS Edinburgh, also known as the “Fortress of the Sea” and another Type 42 destroyer, HMS York, have been put up for sale on its website.
Monday, August 13th 2012 - 21:57 UTC
UN launches new initiative to protect oceans on 30th anniversary of Law of the Sea

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched on Monday a new initiative to protect the oceans and the people whose livelihoods depend on it, and called on countries to work together to achieve a more sustainable management of this precious resource and address the threats it is currently facing.
Monday, August 13th 2012 - 16:14 UTC
Germany prepared to veto aid and exit Greece from the Euro

A senior member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's party issued a stark warning to Greece, saying Germany would not hesitate to veto further aid to the country if there were any signs it was not meeting the conditions of its bailout.
Monday, August 13th 2012 - 05:35 UTC
Argentina shows off jet model and calls on UK to dialogue on Falklands’ sovereignty

Argentina’s minister of Defence called on the UK “to sit and dialogue” over the Falklands/Malvinas sovereignty and warned that the British military presence in the South Atlantic “is the only element that upholds the usurpation of that part of our national territory”.
Saturday, August 11th 2012 - 11:38 UTC
Peru will host leaders’ summit of Arab and South America countries in October

Peru will be hosting next October the III Summit of heads of state and government from South America and Arab nations which is expected to bring together 32 countries, according to Deputy Foreign Affairs minister Jose Beraún.
Saturday, August 11th 2012 - 11:11 UTC
UK minister swims in tank of sharks to highlight campaign against ‘finning’

UK Fisheries minister Richard Benyon has been swimming with sharks to highlight his desire to tighten the European ban on “finning”. Mr Benyon took the plunge into a tank of sharks at Sealife London Aquarium to launch a Shark Trust initiative calling for support to close loopholes in the EU ban on slicing off shark fins and discarding the bodies at sea.
Saturday, August 11th 2012 - 11:03 UTC
China only interested in commodities, not in products that reach supermarkets

Trade with China for Argentina has great opportunities but also great threats because the Asian giant is only interested in produce with no added value, warned the head of Argentina’s Industrial Union, Ignacio De Mendiguren.
Saturday, August 11th 2012 - 10:56 UTC
Bill Gates finances research project to improve corn yields

Billionaire computer magnate Bill Gates is to fund a €8m research project into whether cereal crops can be genetically engineered with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.