International

• Thursday, December 10th 2009 - 07:28 UTC

  Outbreak of Q-fever in Netherlands forces massive culling of goats and sheep

  

  An estimated 15 to 20,000 goats and sheep in the Netherlands are to be slaughtered in connection with Q-fever. Dutch Ministers of Health Ab Klink and Agriculture Gerda Verburg have agreed that on infected farms where animals have not been vaccinated, all pregnant animals must be slaughtered, whether or not they have the virus.

• Thursday, December 10th 2009 - 06:56 UTC

  Giant 140 sq. km iceberg sighted approaching Australia

  

  A giant 140 square kilometres iceberg was spotted 1.700 kilometres south-southwest of Australia and creeping towards the island continent. The frozen mass, 19km long and 8km wide, is already far closer to Australia than icebergs normally travel.

• Thursday, December 10th 2009 - 06:41 UTC

  German caught in New Zealand airport with lizards in under wear

  

  A German who admitted trading in endangered wildlife tried to smuggle 44 rare animals out of New Zealand in his underpants, a court was told, according to news reports on Tuesday.

• Thursday, December 10th 2009 - 04:40 UTC

  The unique 'mysterious sympathy' between Britain and Chile

  

  An interview with William “Eddie” Edmundson, Author of “A History of the British Presence in Chile”

• Wednesday, December 9th 2009 - 14:45 UTC

  The year 2009 to rank among the top 10 warmest on record since 1850

  

  The year 2009 is likely to rank in the top 10 warmest on record since the beginning of instrumental climate records in 1850, according to data sources compiled by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

• Wednesday, December 9th 2009 - 14:41 UTC

  Mercosur summit committed to advance trade negotiations with Europe

  

  Mercosur is committed to advance trade negotiations with the European Union and expects to have drafted a viable position when leaders from Latinamerica and the Caribbean meet with their European Union counterparts next May for the Madrid summit.

• Wednesday, December 9th 2009 - 00:51 UTC

  England’s Capello is paid eight times more than Dunga or Maradona

  

  The 32 coaches of the national teams participating in the South Africa 2010 World Cup are paid handsomely with England’s Fabio Capello top of the list with an annual salary of 10 million US dollars while Nigeria’s Shaibu Amodu, figures at the other extreme with 180.000 US dollars, according to the Argentina’s sports publication Olé.

• Wednesday, December 9th 2009 - 00:17 UTC

  Spain formally apologizes for hot pursuit “error” in Gibraltar waters

  

  A dramatic hot pursuit at sea by Spanish Civil Guards of two suspected smugglers whose vessel crashed into the rocks in Gibraltar avoided becoming a major political incident with Spain apologising for the “error” just a few hours later on Monday night, reports the Gibraltar Chronicle.

• Tuesday, December 8th 2009 - 07:20 UTC

  Overseas Territories meet in London on tenth anniversary of milestone White Paper

  

  Foreign Office Minister Chris Bryant will be hosting in London the eleventh meeting of the Overseas Territories Consultative Council (OTCC) on Wednesday 9 December. This is a key event in the British government /Overseas Territories calendar.

• Tuesday, December 8th 2009 - 03:56 UTC

  EU/Mercosur sign cooperation agreement

  

  The European Union and Mercosur signed a cooperation agreement involving 27 million US dollars earmarked for the sustainable development of the region.