International

• Saturday, December 10th 2011 - 00:43 UTC

  Gibraltar votes for change; after almost 16 years opposition takes over

  

  In a very close result the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP) Liberal Alliance were elected on Thursday into government with Fabian Picardo topping the poll.

• Friday, December 9th 2011 - 07:02 UTC

  European Central bank cuts rate to record low 1% to fight recession and deflation

  

  The European Central Bank cut interest rates by a quarter of a point Thursday to counter the twin threats of recession and deflation in the Euro zone, and is expected to unveil fresh measures to help banks hurt by the bloc's debt crisis.

• Friday, December 9th 2011 - 06:58 UTC

  European banks must increase capitalization to 114.7bn Euros by next June

  

  Europe's banks must increase their capital by 114.7 billion Euros, more than predicted two months ago, to make them strong enough to withstand the Euro zone debt crisis and restore investor confidence, Europe's banking watchdog said.

• Friday, December 9th 2011 - 06:35 UTC

  UK “feeling uneasy” with Argentine diplomatic campaign to recover the Malvinas

  

  Argentine Defence minister Arturo Puricelli rejected the announced UK plan to create a huge marine protection zone in South Georgia saying the British are feeling “uneasy” because of the Argentine diplomatic work displayed to claim the South Atlantic Islands.

• Friday, December 9th 2011 - 06:17 UTC

  Women to be allowed to server in Royal Navy submarines; first expected end of 2013

  

  Women are to be allowed to serve in submarines for the first time in the Royal Navy’s history the Secretary of State for Defence, Philip Hammond, announced on Wednesday. The decision comes following an 18-month review conducted by the Royal Navy looking at the legal, operational, health, social, technical, and financial issues of allowing women to serve on submarines.

• Friday, December 9th 2011 - 06:14 UTC

  Putin blames US for nationwide protests against alleged election fraud

  

  Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, facing the possibility of nationwide protests against his rule, on Thursday accused US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of instigating demonstrators in the wake of the disputed parliamentary election.

• Friday, December 9th 2011 - 06:11 UTC

  Bank of England leaves rates unchanged at the record low 0.5%.

  

  UK interest rates were held at a record low of 0.5% by the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee on Thursday.

• Friday, December 9th 2011 - 06:08 UTC

  Internet version of red light district “.xxx” opens this week with strong filters

  

  An Internet version of a red light district opened this week as Web addresses with “.xxx” endings became available for purchase by those interested in providing online adult content.

• Friday, December 9th 2011 - 06:01 UTC

  Record number of imprisoned journalists in 2011, claims CPJ

  

  The number of journalists jailed around the world increased more than 20% in 2011, mainly because of government crackdowns in the Middle East and North Africa, a nonprofit organization said Thursday.

• Thursday, December 8th 2011 - 22:20 UTC

  Grand Prize Winner of 2011 Katerva Awards announced at the Lincoln Center in New York

  

  “If the Nobel Society had an award for sustainability, it would resemble the Katerva Awards, a new international prize for the most promising ideas and efforts to advance the planet toward sustainability.” (Reuters *)