International

• Saturday, March 10th 2012 - 05:20 UTC

  Remittances to Latam and Caribbean picked up in 2011 and reached 61 billion

  

  Latin American and Caribbean migrants sent 61 billion dollars in remittances to their home countries last year, up 6% from 57.6 billion in 2010, according to a report released today by the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), a member of the Inter-American Development Bank group.

• Saturday, March 10th 2012 - 04:38 UTC

  Vatican says it is complying with anti money laundering recommendations

  

  The Vatican on Friday sought to explain its presence for the first time on a US list of countries that are a potential hub for money laundering, saying it was only natural to be included given its recent efforts to conform to international standards.

• Friday, March 9th 2012 - 22:17 UTC

  First line diplomat and arms control expert next UK ambassador in Argentina

  

  The UK Foreign Office informed on Friday that John Freeman has been appointed new Ambassador to Argentina to replace outgoing Ambassador Shan Morgan, who has held the post since 2008.

• Friday, March 9th 2012 - 03:17 UTC

  Euro zone growth forecasted to shrink by 0.5% this year, says Dragui

  

  The European Central Bank downed its Euro zone growth forecast after holding interest rates at record lows on Thursday, and said things would have been much worse without its dramatic action to pump a trillion Euros into the banking system.

• Friday, March 9th 2012 - 03:09 UTC

  HMS Victory changes custodian and undergoes extensive restoration

  

  The custodianship of the Royal Navy's oldest commissioned warship HMS Victory is to be transferred from the MOD to a charitable trust. The 18th century warship based at the Historic Dockyard in Portsmouth will now be maintained by the HMS Victory Preservation Trust, established as part of the National Museum of the Royal Navy.

• Friday, March 9th 2012 - 01:12 UTC

  Latam vulnerable to trade shocks and highly China-dependent, warns IIF

  

  Economic growth in Latin America should speed to 4.5% in 2013 thanks to monetary stimulus and steadier global conditions, raising the risk of policy complacency, the Institute of International Finance said on Thursday.

• Friday, March 9th 2012 - 00:39 UTC

  IAATO appoints new environmentalist

  

  Providence, RI. - The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) yesterday announced the appointment of South African environmentalist Claudia “Clouds” Holgate to the part-time position of Environmental Operations Assistant.

• Thursday, March 8th 2012 - 23:51 UTC

  Put the islanders first: key to the Malvinas/Falklands dispute

  

  By Robert Cox (*) - Charleston, South Carolina - The misbegotten war over the Islands that need not be named has reversed the concept that war is a continuation of politics or diplomacy by other means. The conflict continues in political and diplomatic terms in Argentina and in Britain. Lost in the clamour is the key to the solution: the interests of the native Islanders.

• Thursday, March 8th 2012 - 09:42 UTC

  Brazil has become the sixth-largest economy in the world overtaking the UK

  

  Brazil has become the sixth-biggest economy in the world, the country's finance minister announced. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) and other economic forecasters also said that Brazil had now overtaken the UK.

• Thursday, March 8th 2012 - 09:35 UTC

  BBC documents reveal French double role during the Falklands conflict

  

  In his memoirs, former UK Defence Secretary Sir John Nott describes France as Britain's “greatest ally” during the Falklands War. However, formerly secret papers and other evidence seen by the BBC show that was not the full story. Before the war, France sold Argentina's military junta five Exocet missiles.