International

• Thursday, March 15th 2012 - 14:29 UTC

  Wen Jibao calls for ‘urgent reform; warns against another ‘Cultural Revolution’

  

  Chinese Premier Wen Jibao made a strong pitch for political reforms in the Communist ruled country, warning that a failure to carry out structural corrections could unleash the upheaval of another Cultural Revolution.

• Thursday, March 15th 2012 - 06:20 UTC

  “Self-determination is the right path for the Falkland Islands”

  

  To affirm the Special Relationship, Barack Obama should offer his support to the islanders, writes Jim Sensenbrenner.

• Thursday, March 15th 2012 - 06:16 UTC

  Uruguay peacekeepers in Sinai surrounded by protesting Bedouins

  

  Uruguay said Wednesday a contingent of its soldiers serving as peacekeepers in the Sinai have been trapped in their base by Bedouins demanding the release of four colleagues imprisoned in Egypt.

• Thursday, March 15th 2012 - 06:09 UTC

  IMF confirms closing offices in Mongolia, Lebanon and G-20 member Argentina

  

  The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will close its Buenos Aires office in protest to Domestic Trade Secretary Guillermo Moreno’s decision to accuse the organization in court, urging it to explain how it calculates Argentina’s inflation rate, sources said.

• Thursday, March 15th 2012 - 03:24 UTC

  Chile/UK respect ‘legitimate differences’ but say NO to a blockade of the Faklands

  

  Foreign Office minister Jeremy Browne and Chilean Foreign Affairs Minister Alfredo Moreno agreed to respect their legitimate differences regarding the Argentine/UK dispute over the Falklands’ sovereignty but also emphasized the Chilean (and other Mercosur members) position contrary to an economic blockade of the Islands or isolating its population.

• Thursday, March 15th 2012 - 00:40 UTC

  US-Canada and EU agree to end ‘beef war’; Brussels grants 48.000 tons quota

  

  European Parliament has backed a deal that will increase EU imports of beef from the US and Canada and help European food exporters. A row over growth hormones used on North American cattle ranches led to a trade war lasting more than 20 years.

• Thursday, March 15th 2012 - 00:28 UTC

  UK youth unemployment at its highest in two decades: 22.5%

  

  United Kingdom’s unemployment rate held at a 13-year high of 8.4% in the three months to January, and the youth unemployment rate rose to a record high, official data showed Wednesday.

• Thursday, March 15th 2012 - 00:17 UTC

  With soaring beef prices cattle rustling is an industry in the Canadian prairies

  

  A rope and a good sturdy branch are no longer an option, or an effective deterrent for the lowlife curs stealing cows in the Canadian province of Alberta. Cattle rustling still occur in the not-so-wild west, with more than 6.000 head stolen annually by thieves prowling the prairies for heifers to heist and sell.

• Wednesday, March 14th 2012 - 23:52 UTC

  Brazilian vessel looses half 5.000 cattle on board and has no port to dock

  

  An animal welfare disaster resulting in the death of more than half the 5.000 cattle on board a Brazilian-owned live export ship bound for Egypt over the past fortnight has prompted renewed calls to ban the industry.

• Tuesday, March 13th 2012 - 07:29 UTC

  Obama and Cameron underline the “unique and essential” US/UK relation

  

  Cameron and Barack Obama have described the “unique and essential” relationship between the US and UK ahead of a visit by the prime minister to Washington. In a joint article for the Washington Post, the two leaders said “the world counts on our alliance”.