International

• Tuesday, November 24th 2009 - 12:57 UTC

  Boeing 747 flies an engine with 50% bio-kerosene mix

  

  A Boeing 747, one of four engines powered by a 50% bio-kerosene mix, circled the Netherlands for an hour on Monday for what airline KLM called the world's first passenger flight using bio-fuel.

• Tuesday, November 24th 2009 - 12:45 UTC

  Deep sea abyss swamped with diversity of life and new species

  

  From a translucent giant octopus to a fish bearing barbed fangs, a team of international scientists say they have discovered hundreds of new species living in total darkness at least 5km beneath the surface of the world's oceans.

• Tuesday, November 24th 2009 - 03:50 UTC

  Quotas for Atlantic blue fin tuna cut by one third to 13.500 tons

  

  The body responsible for managing Atlantic blue fin tuna has decided not to suspend the fishery in response to concerns over dwindling stocks. The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (Iccat) instead decided to lower the annual catch quota by about one third.

• Tuesday, November 24th 2009 - 03:41 UTC

  Spain prepares to announce radical reforms while “economy begins recovery”

  

  Spanish president Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero said Monday that the country’s “economic recovery” has started and all indicates that the rhythm will accelerate.

• Tuesday, November 24th 2009 - 02:43 UTC

  Brazilian opposition questions Iranian president’s visit

  

  The main leader of the Brazilian opposition Jose Serra criticized the government of President Lula da Silva for receiving Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and recalled that the Iranian Defence minister has been accused of the attack against the Argentine Jewish Mutual, AMIA, in 1994, in Buenos Aires.

• Monday, November 23rd 2009 - 11:22 UTC

  Iranain President begins controversial visit to Brazil, Bolivia and Venezuela

  

  Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected Monday in Brasilia as part of a five nation tour to Africa and South America to boost ties with Latinamerica's biggest economy and a rare backer of Tehran's right to develop a nuclear programme.

• Monday, November 23rd 2009 - 11:06 UTC

  Chile was next target after Falklands in 1982, admits Argentine Brigadier

  

  The last Argentine dictatorship headed by General Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri had plans to attack Chile following the invasion and recovery of the disputed Falklands/Malvinas Islands in 1982 revealed on Sunday the former chief of the Argentine Air Force at the time, Brigadier Basilio Lami Dozo.

• Monday, November 23rd 2009 - 11:03 UTC

  Tough guidelines to protect quality and origin of Scotch whisky

  

  New guidelines to protect whisky from foreign imitation, including new rules on labelling and bottling, are coming into force in Scotland on Monday. There will be a new requirement to only bottle Single Malts in Scotland, and tighter rules on the use of distillery names on bottle labels.

• Saturday, November 21st 2009 - 11:31 UTC

  World largest solar powered trimaran prepares to circumnavigate the world

  

  The world's largest solar-powered trimaran, PlanetSolar, will not have sails. Instead of wind it will rely on the power of the sun to circumnavigate the world in 140 days. That's according to plans sketched out by the financial backers and designers of the triple-hull, 30-metre-long, 15-metre-wide boat under construction at Knierim shipyard in Kiel, Germany.

• Saturday, November 21st 2009 - 10:53 UTC

  Cruise vessels on alert as four icebergs are spotted drifting towards New Zealand

  

  At least four icebergs are bearing down on New Zealand, drifting only a few hundred kilometres off the South Island coast and moving closer by the day.