International

• Wednesday, July 4th 2012 - 19:00 UTC

  HMS Dragon joins P&O cruise fleet parade on the company’s 175th anniversary

  

  She is normally known as quite a large warship, but HMS Dragon was dwarfed by seven liners in the Solent. The Type 45 destroyer’s crew stood in ceremonial uniform as the full P&O cruise fleet passed them as they marked the company’s 175th anniversary.

• Wednesday, July 4th 2012 - 18:42 UTC

  New UN food standards regulations extensive to milk, sea food, dried fruit and melons

  

  The UN food standards body has agreed on new regulations, including the maximum level of melamine in liquid milk formula for babies, to protect the health of consumers across the world. Other measures adopted include new food safety standards on seafood, melons, dried figs and food labelling.

• Wednesday, July 4th 2012 - 18:29 UTC

  Cameron prepared to restrict immigration from Euro zone countries

  

  Britain could restrict the immigration of Greeks and other citizens of Euro zone countries affected by Europe's sovereign debt crisis in the event of “extraordinary stresses and strains”, Prime Minister David Cameron said.

• Wednesday, July 4th 2012 - 05:58 UTC

  Barclays CEO resigns as the Libor rate fixing scandal widens

  

  UK Barclays chief executive Bob Diamond suddenly quit on Tuesday over an interest rate-rigging scandal that threatens to drag in a dozen more major lenders but suggested the Bank of England had encouraged his bank to manipulate the figures

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 18:56 UTC

  IMF praises Germany; suggests more stimuli to a tepid performing US economy

  

  An IMF report revealed that the German economy’s performance has been remarkable despite facing considerable headwinds and that the US recovery “remains tepid and subject to elevated downside risks.”

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 18:46 UTC

  Bank of China expands in Brazil following 30bn dollars swap agreement

  

  Bank of China plans to cash in on the expanding bilateral trade between China and Brazil and the recent currency swap agreement between the two central banks.

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 06:20 UTC

  The Vatican bank opens up to show it is not involved in ‘sinful’ activities

  

  Vatican bank, one of the more secretive institutions of the secrecy-obsessed Vatican, opened itself up to a little external scrutiny in a bid to show it is serious about fighting money-laundering and being more financially transparent.

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 03:31 UTC

  EU markets’ watchdog investigating three major credit rating agencies

  

  The European markets watchdog is investigating whether the big three credit ratings agencies' methods of evaluating banks are rigorous and transparent enough, its chairman Steven Maijoor told the Financial Times on Monday.

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 02:50 UTC

  Mandela’s eldest daughter South Africa’s ambassador to Buenos Aires

  

  Argentina has handed Nelson Mandela’s eldest daughter, Zenani Mandela-Dlamini, credentials as South Africa’s ambassador to Buenos Aires, the foreign ministry said on Monday.

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 02:16 UTC

  Euro zone unemployment reaches another record high in May

  

  Joblessness in the Euro zone rose to a new record high in May, pushed up by lay-offs in France, Spain and even stable Austria, as the several years long debt crisis continues to eat away at the currency bloc's fragile economy.