International

• Saturday, October 15th 2011 - 04:23 UTC

  Merkel hits back at critics, insists on regulation of financial markets

  

  German Chancellor Angela Merkel hit back at critics of her Euro zone policy saying it was unacceptable for them to demand bolder action to combat the debt crisis while at the same time resisting steps to rein in financial markets.

• Saturday, October 15th 2011 - 01:33 UTC

  Falklands’ patrol involved in incident with US First Lady Secret Service

  

  United States Secret Service agents told HMS Edinburgh, which is currently patrolling the Falkland Islands, to stop pointing its missiles at Michelle Obama’s hotel room while sailors were holding a ceremony to mark the death of a colleague.

• Friday, October 14th 2011 - 22:00 UTC

  September inflation in China eased but high prices for food remain a concern

  

  Inflation in China eased slightly in September but high prices, especially for food, remain a concern for the country's population. Consumer prices rose 6.1% last month, compared with the same month last year, the National Bureau of Statistics said.

• Friday, October 14th 2011 - 21:56 UTC

  Phillip Hammond new UK Defence Secretary; best-man business cards sinks Fox

  

  Britain’s Defence Secretary Liam Fox has resigned after a week of pressure over his working relationship with friend and self-styled adviser Adam Werritty. Mr Fox was being investigated amid claims he broke the ministerial code.

• Friday, October 14th 2011 - 02:58 UTC

  S&P downgrades Spain’s credit rating on incomplete labour market reforms

  

  Ratings agency Standard and Poor's downgraded the long-term credit rating of Spain by one notch, knocking the Euro down by a third of US cent as it followed hard on the heels of a similar downgrade by Fitch last week.

• Thursday, October 13th 2011 - 23:41 UTC

  IMF says China can partially offset the impact of a global crisis

  

  China has the scope to respond if global economic risks materialize, and the country's response could partially but not entirely offset the impact of a global crisis, the International Monetary Fund's Asia and Pacific director said on Thursday.

• Thursday, October 13th 2011 - 23:14 UTC

  German banks fear tough EU recapitalization standards could backfire

  

  Germany's banks have said that they should not be pushed to increase their financial cushions beyond existing law under the European Union's effort to shore up the financial system against the debt crisis.

• Thursday, October 13th 2011 - 23:02 UTC

  UK forces provide a visible demonstration of UK sovereignty over the Falklands

  

  Next year 30 years will have elapsed since the Falklands conflict, and 13.000km from the UK, the Falklands Garrison is still very much a going concern, providing protection and reassurance for the Islands.

• Thursday, October 13th 2011 - 07:44 UTC

  Blackberry problems spread to the US and main users in South America

  

  Problems with the Blackberry smart-phone system appear to have spread to the United States and several South American countries. Users began to report loss of services on Wednesday, with many turning to Twitter to complain about their lack of email.

• Wednesday, October 12th 2011 - 21:30 UTC

  UK unemployment at its highest since 1994 reaches 2.57 million

  

  Unemployment in Britain has jumped to its highest level since 1994, with young people hit hardest as private companies fail to make up for job losses in the public sector, piling pressure on the government to boost a stagnant economy.