United States colleges and universities have once again dominated the QS World University Rankings of 2013 with six prestigious institutions featuring in the top 10. The remaining four places have been occupied by British universities.
The Bank of England is moving closer to ditching paper pounds and switching to plastic banknotes instead. It would follow in the footsteps of Australia, Canada and others. The central bank said it would ask the public its opinion before taking a decision in December on whether to adopt polymer pounds which also would be smaller than current notes.
Thomas Bach was elected president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The German became only the ninth president in the body's 119-year history after succeeding Belgium's Jacques Rogge who stepped down after 12 years at the helm.
Britain celebrated at Mansion House in London Chile Day 2013, September 10, with Minister of State for the Foreign Office Hugo Swire as the main speaker. This year’s event was attended by the Lord Mayor, Chilean Finance Minister Felipe Larrain and numerous participants.
A new British naval air defense system that can intercept and destroy enemy missiles is to be manufactured in the UK under a £250 million contract. Sea Ceptor, which will be fitted to the Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigates and, in future, the Type 26 Global Combat Ship, is a cutting-edge missile designed and built by MBDA.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday, 10 September, praised the “enormous dignity” shown by Gibraltar in response to months of pressure from Spain and said the Rock's relationship with Britain was “solid, sure and enduring”.
According to a report in the German news weekly Der Spiegel, the United States National Security Agency, NSA is able to crack protective measures on iPhones, BlackBerry and Android devices, giving it access to users’ data on all major smart-phones.
Venezuela must immediately reverse its decision to withdraw from the American Convention on Human Rights and make a commitment to truly protect all individuals, Amnesty International said on Monday. The Venezuelan government’s decision will take effect on Tuesday 10 September. The withdrawal will leave Venezuelan citizens without the protection of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
World trade is expected to grow by 2.5% this year and 4.5% in 2014, the World Trade Organisation's new chief, Roberto Azevedo, said on Monday, revising down previous estimates of 3.3% and 5%.
BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) have agreed to a 100 billion dollars currency reserve pool as a “financial firewall” in anticipation of liquidity strains and ‘currency shocks’ as the United States Federal Reserve moves to reduce monetary stimulus.