International

• Sunday, May 22nd 2011 - 23:41 UTC

  Ukraine’s richest man pays highest price for London residence: £ 136.4 million

  

  Ukraine’s richest man, Rinat Akhmetov, has paid the highest price for a UK residence, buying an apartment in the One Hyde Park development in Knightsbridge. Land Registry documents show that two properties on the seventh and eighth floor of the luxury development have been bought by a single buyer, the total consideration amounting to £136.4m.

• Sunday, May 22nd 2011 - 22:32 UTC

  UK ends military operation in Iraq which was started in 2003

  

  UK's military operation in Iraq will officially end midnight Sunday, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed. It comes after the Royal Navy completed its training of Iraqi sailors, with the last personnel leaving the country on Friday.

• Sunday, May 22nd 2011 - 13:17 UTC

  Catholic Church points to politicians on corruption and discredited institutions

  

  The Latin America Catholic Church Episcopal Council, Celam, sent a strong message to the political establishment saying it is painful to see so many people victims of the narcotics trade and so many young people disenchanted with institutions because of corruption. Celam held its XXXIII two-day Ordinary Assembly in Montevideo.

• Sunday, May 22nd 2011 - 13:09 UTC

  Greece’s credit rating downgraded and risks a ‘sovereign default’

  

  Greece’s credit rating was cut on Friday three levels by Fitch Ratings, which said that even a voluntary extension of its bond maturities being studied by EU policy makers would be considered a default.

• Sunday, May 22nd 2011 - 12:58 UTC

  Standard & Poor’s ‘yellow card’ for Italy; promise of balanced budget in 2014

  

  Italy’s Treasury said it will “intensify” structural changes in the economy and push ahead with measures to balance the budget by 2014 after Standard & Poor’s said its debt rating is at risk of a downgrade.

• Sunday, May 22nd 2011 - 12:48 UTC

  London and Madrid address Spanish incursions into Gibraltar waters

  

  British Foreign Minister William Hague raised the UK’s concerns over Spanish incursions into Gibraltar waters during a meeting with his Spanish counterpart last February, according to a response to a question in the House of Lords.

• Sunday, May 22nd 2011 - 12:32 UTC

  European powers endorse French minister Lagarde as next IMF chief

  

  European leaders raced Saturday to nominate a successor for fallen IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn before a G8 summit in France next week, with French Economy Minister Christine Lagarde in pole position.

• Saturday, May 21st 2011 - 10:18 UTC

  Delhi proposal to triangle South Africa Customs Union, India and Mercosur

  

  India will be launching negotiations for a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA) with Mercosur although it will first “expedite” talks for a preferential trade agreement with the South African Customs Union (SACU).

• Saturday, May 21st 2011 - 10:15 UTC

  IMF should have a new Managing Director by June 30

  

  The International Monetary Fund said on Friday that it is scheduled to complete the process of selecting a new managing director by June 30.

• Saturday, May 21st 2011 - 09:56 UTC

  Spaniards take to cities’ plazas and call for a protest no-vote in Sunday’s local elections

  

  Tens of thousands of Spaniards angry over unemployment protested for a sixth day, ahead of Sunday's local elections in which the ruling Socialists are expected to suffer heavy losses.