International

• Sunday, October 7th 2012 - 12:53 UTC

  World's largest salmon lands in Anchorage

  

  The world's largest 'salmon' -- a plane -- landed in Anchorage this week at a full 91,000 lb before an audience of hundreds of Alaska Airlines employees and seafood industry executives. Measuring nearly 129 ft, the fish-themed Boeing 737-800 is the most elaborately decorated commercial aircraft and is meant to celebrate the partnership of Alaska Airlines and the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI).

• Saturday, October 6th 2012 - 15:16 UTC

  IMF cuts global growth estimates; calls for clear political leadership to restore confidence

  

  The IMF has cut its global growth forecasts for this year and 2013 and called on politicians in the Euro-zone and the US to take “decisive” steps to restore confidence, a German newspaper said Friday.

• Saturday, October 6th 2012 - 14:58 UTC

  Cuban dissident freed; court asks seven years for Spanish youth activist

  

  Cuban authorities released prominent dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez late on Friday after detaining her on the eve of a Spanish activist's high-profile manslaughter trial in the eastern city of Bayamo.

• Friday, October 5th 2012 - 20:15 UTC

  Southern Europeans flocking to Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Mexico

  

  A European Union (EU)-funded IOM study released on Friday on migratory flows in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and between LAC and the EU, shows a marked increase in migration from the EU to LAC and a marked decrease in the number of LAC migrants entering the EU.

• Friday, October 5th 2012 - 19:45 UTC

  Spain’s Guardia Civil challenged Gibraltar waters on 47 occasions in eight months

  

  Guardia Civil vessels escorted Spanish fishing boats into Gibraltar territorial waters on 47 occasions during the first eight months of the year, according to the British Government. The information was revealed in a response to questions in the House of Lords, in which Britain also reaffirmed its position on sovereignty.

• Friday, October 5th 2012 - 06:02 UTC

  Bank of England leaves rates and QE unchanged waiting for next set of stats

  

  Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has decided at its monthly meeting on Thursday not to introduce any new stimulus measures. It has kept interest rates at their record low of 0.5% and not to raise the amount of quantitative easing (QE) from the current level of £375bn.

• Friday, October 5th 2012 - 05:58 UTC

  Draghi says ECB bond-buying program waiting for its first customer

  

  The European Central Bank decided on Thursday to keep its main refinancing rate unchanged in a bid to calm markets but the focus really has been on when exactly its bond-buying program will get off the ground.

• Thursday, October 4th 2012 - 20:50 UTC

  Argentina will have to post 10m plus bond in Ghana to liberate ARA ‘Libertad’

  

  Argentina will have to come up with 10 million dollars or more as a bond to liberate the flagship of its navy, “Libertad” retained in the Ghanaian port of Tema, following on the request from a US hedge fund.

• Thursday, October 4th 2012 - 19:52 UTC

  FAO Prices Index up 1.4% in September pushed by dairy and meats

  

  Following two months of stability, the FAO Price Index rose slightly in September 2012, up 1.4%, or 3 points, from its level in August. The Index, based on the prices of a basket of internationally traded food commodities, climbed to 216 points in September from 213 points in August.

• Thursday, October 4th 2012 - 19:18 UTC

  Youth unemployment in 17 of the G20 countries stands at over 16%

  

  The youth jobs situation remains critical, with 17.7 million young people, or just over 16%, unemployed in 17 of the G20 countries for which data is available, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has said.