Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is offering the equivalent of almost half a million US dollars reward for information leading to the rescue of a governor snatched from his home Monday night by a guerrilla commando unit dressed in army uniforms. He also asked for the recovery of 24 military, captives of the guerrilla.
The Royal Air Force has signed a contract for the seventh C17 aircraft the UK Ministry of Defence announced Tuesday. The new strategic transport aircraft will add to a fleet that has seen heavy usage during recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
An elite team of British soldiers beat Special Forces from around the world to win a grueling competition in the driest place on Earth, repots Daily Record.co.uk. The eight-man unit from the Highlanders (4 Scots) picked up the gold medal in the Chilean Patrol Competition before their recent deployment to the Falkland Islands.
A third credit ratings agency has downgraded Greek government bonds over concerns about the country's ability to reduce its high levels of debt. Moody's is the third of the three major international agencies to downgrade Greece, following similar moves by Fitch and Standard & Poor's.
China's GDP per capita is expected to climb to 4,000 US dollars by the end of next year, according to the 2010 social blue book issued Monday, reports Global Times.
China and Taiwan have signed the latest in a series of economic deals, amid some disquiet on the island at their ever-closer relationship. Chen Yunlin, China's top Taiwan envoy, agreed the deals with his Taiwanese counterpart on the second day of his four-day visit to the island.
The European Union has voted to extend tariffs on shoes from China and Vietnam in order to help European producers compete with cheaper imports. The tariffs, which were first introduced in 2006, will last for a further 15 months.
A number of countries in the EU were opposed to the extension.
Spain has vetoed Gibraltar’s role as interlocutor in a 2001 European Convention of data protection, right to privacy and exchange of data between member states, reports the Gibraltar Chronicle.
The Brazilian government is not putting pressure on the Paraguayan Congress to vote the full incorporation of Venezuela to Mercosur. Paraguay is the only remaining full member which still has to vote for Venezuela to join the South American trade block, following last week’s Brazilian senate divided approval.
Brazilian president Lula da Silva said it was “worth while” to fight against the military dictatorship, which lasted from 1964 to 1985. He made the statements during the launching of a Human Rights program which includes the possibility of creating a Truth Commission to investigate crimes committed under the de facto regime.