International

• Friday, June 8th 2012 - 21:06 UTC

  Fitch downgrades Repsol rating to BBB- on fears of YPF seizure impact

  

  Repsol, the Spanish oil producer whose Argentine unit YPF was nationalized in April, was cut to the lowest investment grade by Fitch Ratings, the first downgrade since reducing dividends to shore up its finances.

• Friday, June 8th 2012 - 20:59 UTC

  Guernsey Bailiff, guest of the Falklands during Liberation commemoration

  

  The Island of Guernsey's Bailiff is to visit the Falkland Islands to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the end of the conflict and the Islands' liberation.

• Friday, June 8th 2012 - 20:51 UTC

  Bank of England stand-by on optimism over a solution to the Euro debt crisis

  

  The Bank of England has resisted injecting further emergency liquidity to the UK economy as optimism over finding a solution to the Euro zone debt crisis grew.

• Friday, June 8th 2012 - 20:48 UTC

  Earl and Countess of Wessex visit Gibraltar to celebrate Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

  

  The Earl and Countess of Wessex – Prince Edward and Sophie - are visiting Gibraltar from Monday to Wednesday of next week as part of Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

• Friday, June 8th 2012 - 20:35 UTC

  Artefacts from controversial 1804 wreck stored in Gibraltar returned to Spain

  

  Archaeological artefacts recovered from a controversial wreck and stored in a warehouse in Gibraltar were handed to Spanish authorities this week. The items were recovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration in 2007 from the wreck of “Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes”, a Spanish galleon that sank off Portugal in 1804.

• Friday, June 8th 2012 - 20:21 UTC

  China lowers key rates and gives banks more flexibility to help boost growth

  

  China has cut its key interest rates for the first time since 2008, in an attempt to boost its slowing growth. The benchmark one-year loan rate was cut by a quarter of one percent to 6.31% while deposit rates were cut from 3.5% to 3.25%.

• Friday, June 8th 2012 - 20:11 UTC

  EU gets tough on border controls to address large-scale immigration

  

  European Union governments would be able to suspend passport-free travel in parts of Europe for as long as two years under regulations proposed on Thursday to address concerns over large-scale immigration.

• Friday, June 8th 2012 - 19:42 UTC

  Browne turns down Timerman invitation to discuss Falklands next week in Buenos Aires

  

  UK Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne turned down on Friday an invitation sent by Argentine Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman to visit Argentina. Timerman had hoped to meet with the UK government official in Buenos Aires when Browne makes his trip to the Falkland Islands next week.

• Friday, June 8th 2012 - 02:54 UTC

  Germany ready to bail out Spain; sovereign rating down to BBB negative outlook

  

  German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Europe was ready to act to ensure stability in the Euro zone as Spain's credit rating was cut by three notches amid expectations it may soon seek EU help for banks beset by bad debts.

• Friday, June 8th 2012 - 01:35 UTC

  China interested in a trade agreement with Mercosur reveals Uruguay

  

  China has offered Mercosur to consider the possibility of negotiating a free trade agreement revealed Uruguay, when the South American block is going through one of its worst moments ever so distant from the integration process pledges of 1991.