International

• Thursday, March 5th 2009 - 16:50 UTC

  Princess Anne in Gibraltar amid Spanish complaints

  

  HRH Princess Anne arrived in Gibraltar Wednesday on an official visit to the disputed territory that has stirred up old tensions between Britain and Spain. The Spanish government made an official complaint to British authorities ahead of the royal visit describing it as “inopportune” and an affront to Spain, which contests London's rule over the strategic territory.

• Wednesday, March 4th 2009 - 16:49 UTC

  Brazil, Germany help boost car sales; US continues to plunge

  

  Car sales in Brazil and Germany soared in February helped by tax breaks and a cash bonus to scrap old vehicles. In Brazil Fiat SpA reported its third straight sales increase in February and in Germany sales rose by 22% compared with the same month last year, reaching their highest level for 10 years.

• Tuesday, March 3rd 2009 - 23:00 UTC

  UK's top historian denied access to his MI5 file

  

  The British government has been challenged to explain why Britain's most eminent historian has been barred from seeing a file kept on him by the domestic spy agency, MI5.

• Tuesday, March 3rd 2009 - 23:00 UTC

  Chinese auto maker could acquire Ford's Volvo brand

  

  China's Geely is expected to submit a bid to acquire Ford's Sweden's Volvo brand in a bold attempt to expand internationally. There are at least three other possible bidders, one of which is also a Chinese company, according to one of the people.

• Tuesday, March 3rd 2009 - 23:00 UTC

  FAO tells fishing industry to prepare for climate change

  

  The world fishing industry and government authorities must plan ahead to deal with the impact of climate change on fisheries worldwide, according to a new United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO report.

• Tuesday, March 3rd 2009 - 23:00 UTC

  Spain gateway for South American cocaine, says US report

  

  Organised criminal networks have turned Spain into a major gateway into Europe for illegal shipments of cocaine and cannabis, according to the US State Department and published in the Gibraltar Chronicle.

• Tuesday, March 3rd 2009 - 23:00 UTC

  Standard Chartered bank reports 19% rise in profits

  

  Standard Chartered bank, which focuses on Asia, Africa and the Middle East, has defied the gloom afflicting the sector by reporting a rise in profits. The bank said pre-tax profit for 2008 was $4.8bn (?3.4bn), up 19% compared with a year earlier. Standard Chartered said that it was on a “firm footing” for 2009.

• Tuesday, March 3rd 2009 - 23:00 UTC

  Number of unemployed in Spain stands at 3.5 million

  

  The number of unemployed people in Spain jumped by 154,058 in February, as the deepening recession forced companies to lay off more workers. The total number of people out of work in Spain now stands at almost 3.5 million, official figures show.

• Tuesday, March 3rd 2009 - 23:00 UTC

  Offshore tax havens skim UK treasury of ? 4 billion says TUC

  

  United Kingdom is losing at least ?4 billion a year through wealthy residents holding their money in offshore tax havens, claims a research from the TUC (Trade unions congress).

• Monday, March 2nd 2009 - 23:00 UTC

  Wall Street below 7.000 benchmark drags global markets

  

  Markets have fallen worldwide, rattled by fears that turmoil in the financial sector is far from over. On Wall Street, the US Dow Jones index fell below 7,000 points for the first time since October 1997.