International

• Friday, December 2nd 2011 - 05:24 UTC

  France denies Uruguay is a “fiscal haven”; underlines strong bilateral links

  

  “Uruguay does not figure in the list of countries with which France has financial difficulties”, said a special envoy from President Nicholas Sarkozy who visited Montevideo this week, thus ending the controversy triggered at the end of the early November G8 Cannes summit when Uruguay was described as a “fiscal haven”.

• Friday, December 2nd 2011 - 00:00 UTC

  UK reaffirms to next Spanish government full support for Gibraltar sovereignty

  

  Just a few days after the Conservative Popular Party swept into power in Spain, the British Government has underscored its long-standing assurance that it will not talk about Gibraltar’s sovereignty against the wishes of its people.

• Thursday, December 1st 2011 - 16:24 UTC

  Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory to be returned to her former glory

  

  HMS Victory, the world’s oldest commissioned warship, is to be returned to her former glory thanks to a 10-year restoration program, the Ministry of Defence announced Thursday. It will be the most extensive restoration of the 246 year old warship since she was repaired after the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 as Lord Nelson’s flagship.

• Thursday, December 1st 2011 - 06:02 UTC

  Brazil has the highest real interest rate among 40 leading economies

  

  The Brazilian Central bank latest decision to lower the basic interest rate by half a percentage point to 11%, confirms Brazil leadership as the country with the highest real interest rates in the world. An honour it has held interruptedly for the last 23 months.

• Thursday, December 1st 2011 - 05:57 UTC

  Meryl Streep portraying ‘The Iron Lady’ named best actress by NY Film Critics Circle

  

  Meryl Streep has been named best actress for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in upcoming film The Iron Lady by the New York Film Critics Circle.

• Thursday, December 1st 2011 - 05:53 UTC

  US and EU stock soar following on central banks’ decision to provide dollars

  

  Global stocks and the Euro rallied on Wednesday after the world's leading central banks agreed to cut the cost for European banks to borrow much-needed dollars.

• Thursday, December 1st 2011 - 05:49 UTC

  Corruption continues to plague too many countries, says Transparency

  

  Corruption continues to plague too many countries around the world, according to Transparency International’s 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index released Wednesday. It shows some governments failing to protect citizens from corruption, be it abuse of public resources, bribery or secretive decision-making.

• Thursday, December 1st 2011 - 04:19 UTC

  Emirates Airlines inaugurates Dubai-Buenos Aires daily flights 3 January

  

  Emirates Airlines will fly on a daily basis between Dubai and Buenos Aires, with a call at Rio do Janeiro, as of next January 3, it was announced in the Argentine capital by Richard Vaughan Senior Vice-president for Commercial Operations.

• Wednesday, November 30th 2011 - 21:21 UTC

  Tens of visitors evacuated when HMS Belfast gangway in London collapsed

  

  Nearly 170 visitors were evacuated Wednesday from the HMS Belfast after the gangway leading to the tourist attraction collapsed. AOL (UK) reports that London Metropolitan police have said that two men were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

• Wednesday, November 30th 2011 - 20:47 UTC

  UK promises more support for the Overseas Territories biodiversity strategy

  

  Overseas Territories Minister Henry Bellingham met representatives of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds on Wednesday, and received a pledge signed by almost 17,000 of their members, asking the UK Government to ensure that the valuable biodiversity of the Overseas Territories is preserved.