International

• Thursday, January 26th 2012 - 05:25 UTC

  Do you agree Scotland should be an independent country? Yes, but…

  

  Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond said his planned referendum on independence will ask a simple question on whether the country should go it alone, though he didn’t rule out a third option of more power within the UK

• Thursday, January 26th 2012 - 05:22 UTC

  Japan posts first annual trade deficit in more than 30 years

  

  Japan has announced its first annual trade deficit in more than 30 years, a setback for a country known for its exports including cars and electronics. The deficit came in at 2.49 trillion yen (32bn dollars) for 2011, the finance ministry said.

• Thursday, January 26th 2012 - 05:19 UTC

  Norway’s discount carrier orders 222 Boeing and Airbus, totalling 21.5bn dollars

  

  Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA ordered 222 Boeing Co. and Airbus SAS airliners valued at 127 billion Kroner (21.5 billion dollars) as Europe's fourth-biggest discount carrier steps up its competition with state-backed SAS AB.

• Wednesday, January 25th 2012 - 23:51 UTC

  UK says Falklands’ self determination is a universal right enshrined in UN charter

  

  The UK will not negotiate the Falklands/Malvinas Islands sovereignty “until the Islander so wish to” said on Wednesday a spokesperson from the Foreign Office.

• Wednesday, January 25th 2012 - 23:45 UTC

  Argentina’s policy of isolating and intimidating the Falklands reaches the EU

  

  The Falkland Islands urged the EU Commission to ensure that the rights of citizens of Overseas Counties and Territories are not compromised in relations with countries and regional bodies.

• Wednesday, January 25th 2012 - 21:07 UTC

  Merkel asks business leaders to give policy makers “needed space” to tackle Euro crisis

  

  German Chancellor Angela Merkel appealed to business leaders at the World Economic Forum to give policy makers the space they need to tackle the debt crisis, pledging that Europe will pull together and restore confidence.

• Wednesday, January 25th 2012 - 21:02 UTC

  Tapes confirm Costa Concordia told by managers to steam close to the shore when the accident

  

  The captain of the doomed Italian liner Costa Concordia said he was told by managers to take his ship close in to shore on the night it ran aground and capsized, according to bugged conversations leaked in Italian newspapers.

• Wednesday, January 25th 2012 - 20:44 UTC

  Greek “negotiated haircut” may need to be extended to public sector creditors warns Lagarde

  

  Greece's public sector creditors may need to participate in a restructuring of its debt if a haircut negotiated with private sector bondholders is not enough to make Athens' debt sustainable, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said.

• Wednesday, January 25th 2012 - 20:41 UTC

  Gibraltar “joke time over” Spanish minister tells Foreign Secretary Hague

  

  “This joke is over” Jose Garcia-Margallo, Spanish Foreign Minister told his British counterpart William Hague this week regarding the Gibraltar sovereignty dispute.

• Wednesday, January 25th 2012 - 20:35 UTC

  Greek sovereign debt following “footsteps of Argentina’s 2002 disorderly default”

  

  Greece's sovereign debt restructuring appears to be following the footsteps of Argentina's disorderly debt default of 2002, a creditor that is participating in the negotiations warned this week.