International

• Friday, February 3rd 2012 - 06:08 UTC

  Malvinas dispute helps ‘to distract UK public opinion’ from serious domestic problems

  

  The UK is taking advantage of the diplomatic conflict escalade with Argentina over the Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute to distract public opinion from serious domestic problems such as unemployment, said Argentine Vice-president Amado Boudou.

• Thursday, February 2nd 2012 - 22:20 UTC

  US court rules 17 tons of 19th century rescued silver coins must be returned to Spain

  

  A US federal judge has ruled against Odyssey Marine Exploration in its legal row with Spain over 17 tons of silver coins recovered from a sunken 19th century Spanish galleon.

• Thursday, February 2nd 2012 - 22:15 UTC

  France bags 10.4bn deal to supply 126 Rafale combat planes to Indian Air Force

  

  The French Dassault Rafale has won the 10.4 billion dollars deal to supply 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) to the Indian Air Force (IAF), India’s biggest arms deal which is also the world’s largest in recent years in terms of value as the contract is likely to go up to 20 billion.

• Thursday, February 2nd 2012 - 21:51 UTC

  Political controversy in Gibraltar over the outbreak of Norovirus in local hospital

  

  Political controversy has erupted in Gibraltar following the outbreak of a Norovirus infection in a local hospital. The highly contagious virus which causes vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration is not unknown to the cruise industry which has been forced to cancel trips and isolate vessels.

• Thursday, February 2nd 2012 - 21:46 UTC

  Rajoy and Cameron scheduled to meet 21 February in London, says Madrid media

  

  Mariano Rajoy, Spain’s Prime Minister, is expected to meet with his British counterpart David Cameron later this month. According to Spanish press reports the meeting is likely to take place in London on February 21.

• Thursday, February 2nd 2012 - 21:41 UTC

  UK tells Spain: sovereignty negotiations only if Gibraltar so wishes

  

  Britain would only enter into sovereignty negotiations with Spain if Gibraltar was happy for it to do so, Europe Minister David Lidington told the House of Commons this week

• Thursday, February 2nd 2012 - 21:27 UTC

  Controversy over criteria for the award of the Nobel Peace Prize

  

  Swedish authorities are looking into whether the Nobel Peace Prize has been going to the “wrong” type of people, like human rights campaigners and environmentalists, in violation of prize founder Alfred Nobel's will.

• Thursday, February 2nd 2012 - 05:31 UTC

  American Airlines presents union plan to cut costs and 13.000 layoffs

  

  American Airlines said on Wednesday it needed to cut costs by 20% to stay afloat, as it met with union representatives to detail a plan for layoffs that reports said would total 13,000 workers.

• Thursday, February 2nd 2012 - 05:21 UTC

  US plans to wind down combat operations in Afghanistan by mid 2013

  

  The US will seek to wind down combat operations in Afghanistan during 2013, more than a year before a deadline for withdrawal, the defence secretary says. Speaking while travelling to a Nato summit, Leon Panetta said the US hoped to switch to a role training and supporting Afghan forces.

• Thursday, February 2nd 2012 - 05:15 UTC

  IMF warn Argentina on ‘lack of progress’ in addressing inflation data

  

  The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned Argentina about its “lack of progress” in addressing inflation data and called on the country to implement “specific measures” within the next six months to improve it.