
Hundreds of thousands of Catalans took to the streets of Barcelona in an unprecedented show of mass support for autonomy from Madrid, blaming Spain's economic crisis for dragging their wealthy region down.

The Gibraltar flag can be seen flying over the Foreign Office in Whitehall, London on the part of the building overlooking Whitehall and Downing Street to celebrate Gibraltar Day, September 10.

The Brazilian stock exchange Bovespa index rose for a third session as Brazilian raw-material producers rallied after weaker economic data from China to the US fueled strong hopes policy makers will take further steps to boost growth.

China's exports grew less than forecast and imports fell in August, adding to fears about a sharp slowdown in its economy. Exports rose by 2.7% from a year earlier as global demand continued to remain subdued. Imports fell 2.6% from a year ago, indicating a decline in home grown consumption.

Aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal is being sold for £3m for scrap metal by the Ministry of Defence to help tackle a multi-billion pound defence deficit. The removal of the Royal Navy's former flagship from service in 2011, five years early, was a difficult but necessary decision, the MoD has said.

Democracy is in retreat in some Latinamerican countries warned the Mexican president Felipe Calderon in the Russian city of Vladivostok where he attended the APEC summit forum, (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation).

International financier George Soros has called for Germany to lead or leave the euro days before a crucial ruling on the Euro zone's bailout fund by Germany's constitutional court. Mr Soros argued that the euro zone should target 5% economic growth.

The Foreign Office will fly the Gibraltar flag on Monday, National Day in its building along Whitehall. Foreign Office ministers David Lidington and Mark Simmonds, respectively the ministers for Europe and the Overseas Territories, have said they welcome the raising of the Gibraltar Flag over the FCO in Whitehall to mark Gibraltar Day.

By Graham Bound - The discovery of a large field of natural gas beneath the seabed south of the Falklands received appropriate coverage in the UK press. Rockhopper Exploration’s agreement with Premier Oil, which is likely to involve an investment by the latter of up to £750m, has also been noticed.

Bank of Spain figures show that net capital outflows—including bank withdrawals and sell-offs of Spanish stocks and bonds—equaled more than 50% of the country’s economic output over the year ended July 31.