International

• Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 23:39 UTC

  EU joins US: bans oil imports from Iran and imposes further economic sanctions

  

  The European Union banned imports of oil from Iran on Monday and imposed a number of other economic sanctions, joining the United States in a new round of measures aimed at deflecting Tehran’s nuclear development program.

• Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 23:36 UTC

  IMF and Germany can’t agree on road map for Euro zone rescue

  

  IMF chief Christine Lagarde urged on Monday European governments to increase their financial firewall to prevent Greece’s troubles from ensnaring bigger countries like Italy and Spain.

• Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 17:00 UTC

  UK offshore drilling activity in UK waters fell to its lowest since 2003

  

  Offshore drilling activity in UK waters fell by a third last year to its lowest level since 2003, going against a trend of increased exploration and appraisal activity in the rest of north-west Europe, according to a new report.

• Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 16:47 UTC

  Repsol-YPF begins exploratory drilling off Cuba closet o the Florida Keys

  

  A large oil rig has arrived off the coast of Cuba to begin searching for offshore oil deposits. Several international companies will use the rig to drill exploratory wells in deep water in the Florida Strait, which separates Cuba from the US.

• Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 16:42 UTC

  HMS Victory, ‘mightiest vessel of the 18th century’ to be rescued from the sea bed

  

  The remains of a 300-year-old Royal Navy warship are to be raised from the sea bed, according to reports. The wreck of HMS Victory, a predecessor of Nelson's famous flagship, was found near the Channel Islands in 2008.

• Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 16:32 UTC

  Spain’s central banks says economy forecasted to shrink 1.5% in 2012

  

  Spain’s economy contracted in the fourth quarter and will shrink 1.5% this year, the Bank of Spain estimated, undermining government efforts to cut the budget deficit amid the second recession in two years.

• Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 16:28 UTC

  China admits “big distribution challenges” in the Year of the Dragon

  

  China will face “bigger challenges” in the Year of the Dragon its Prime Minister Wen Jiabao warned Saturday, as he pledged economic reforms to improve wealth distribution, state media reported.

• Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 15:23 UTC

  Costa Concordia captain claims he was ordered to make the fatal ‘salute’ display

  

  The operators of the Costa Concordia faced questions over their share of the blame for the shipwreck, as divers recovered another body from the stricken liner, bringing the known death toll to 13.

• Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 15:15 UTC

  New Spanish minister proposes Gibraltar ‘quadripartite’ talks on cooperation

  

  Spanish Foreign Affairs minister Jose Garcia-Margallo is seeking to revisit talks on co-operation with the disputed Gibraltar UK Overseas Territory on a new variation of the formulas for talks: a quadripartite forum.

• Monday, January 23rd 2012 - 15:13 UTC

  Mass pilot whale stranding in New Zealand; desperate efforts to save remaining 77

  

  New Zealand officials say at least 22 pilot whales have died after being beached on the country's South Island.