International

• Wednesday, February 15th 2012 - 05:42 UTC

  Cameron rings Chilean president to discuss Falklands and self determination

  

  Chilean president Sebastián Piñera received a surprise phone call at his summer residence on Tuesday afternoon from PM David Cameron who referred to the current Falklands dispute.

• Wednesday, February 15th 2012 - 00:24 UTC

  FIFA warns Argentina football leaders about Falklands’ conflict reference

  

  FIFA has asked Argentina's football leaders to explain reports that their league has been named after a naval ship sunk by British forces during the Falkland Islands conflict 30 years ago.

• Tuesday, February 14th 2012 - 22:19 UTC

  Euro debt crisis: Moody warns France and Britain’s triple-A rating could be next

  

  Rating agency Moody's announced on Tuesday it had downgraded six European nations including Italy, Spain and Portugal, citing growing risks from Europe's debt crisis, and warned it may cut the triple-A ratings of France, Britain and Austria.

• Tuesday, February 14th 2012 - 21:49 UTC

  Argentina confirms it has accepted UN mediation offer for the Malvinas dispute

  

  The Argentine government confirmed on Tuesday through a letter sent by Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly President, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, that Argentina had accepted the mediation offer in order to find a pacific solution with the United Kingdom over the sovereignty of the Malvinas Islands.

• Tuesday, February 14th 2012 - 20:57 UTC

  S&P and Fitch downgrade Spain’s top banks: Santander and BBVA

  

  Banco Santander SA and Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA were among 15 Spain-based financial firms downgraded by Standard & Poor's after the credit-ratings company reduced the nation's grade last month.

• Tuesday, February 14th 2012 - 20:51 UTC

  New Year or Euro crisis: China’s January exports fall, imports plummet 15.3%

  

  China's exports fell in January the first decline in more than two years, raising fresh concerns about the impact of a global slowdown on its economy. Exports dipped 0.5% from a year earlier hurt by sluggish demand and factories being shut during the Lunar New Year.

• Tuesday, February 14th 2012 - 20:46 UTC

  C&W Worldwide soars 30% after Vodafone said it was interested in takeover

  

  Vodafone Group, the world's largest mobile operator by revenue, is considering a bid for Britain's Cable & Wireless Worldwide, whose fixed-line network could boost bandwidth for its Internet-hungry customers.

• Tuesday, February 14th 2012 - 04:50 UTC

  Don’t cry for Argentina

  

  By Ronald Sanders - The national and regional interests of Commonwealth Caribbean countries would hardly be served by backing Argentina in its long-running dispute with Britain over the Falkland Islands.

• Monday, February 13th 2012 - 21:00 UTC

  FAO Food Price Index up 2% in January, first increase since July 2011

  

  The FAO Food Price Index rose by nearly two percent or four points from December to January, its first increase since July 2011. According to FAO prices of all the commodity groups in the index registered gains last month with oils increasing the most followed closely by cereals, sugar, dairy products and meat.

• Monday, February 13th 2012 - 20:50 UTC

  Agriculture methods accelerate erosion and global warming, says UN report

  

  Global warming will get worse as agricultural methods accelerate the rate of soil erosion, which depletes the amount of carbon the soil is able to store, a United Nations' Environment Programme report said on Monday.