International

• Thursday, April 16th 2009 - 02:51 UTC

  The Taiwan Relations Act at 30: Enduring Framework or Accidental Success?

  

  Despite its pragmatic origin, ambiguous nature and transitory design, a unique piece of legislation has guided US-Taiwan relations for longer than many ever anticipated. By Vincent Wei-cheng Wang*

• Thursday, April 16th 2009 - 01:16 UTC

  Mafia chief who inspired “The French Connection” dies in Argentina

  

  François Chiappe, the fearsome Corsican capo-mafia who inspired the famous film “The French Connection” in 1971 died in a geriatric home in the Argentine province of Cordoba last February, according to reports in the Sunday press.

• Wednesday, April 15th 2009 - 05:23 UTC

  British PM Brown furious over smear e-mails; Tories insist in inquiry

  

  British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was “furious” when he found out about the smear emails written by a key aide about top Tories, his spokesman has said, amid renewed Tory pressure for an inquiry into the scandal.

• Wednesday, April 15th 2009 - 05:21 UTC

  Study reveals UK cities most hit by recession unemployment

  

  Job losses during the current British recession have impacted most on large cities, mainly Birmingham, outside London, according to research. The biggest jump in total numbers of people claiming unemployment benefit were found in the North, West Midlands, Scotland, and areas linked with traditional manufacturing and heavy industry, a study by The Work Foundation found.

• Wednesday, April 15th 2009 - 05:14 UTC

  Vatican rejects (pro-abortion) Caroline Kennedy as US ambassador

  

  The Vatican has rejected at least three possible candidates proposed by President Barack Obama to serve as US ambassador to the Holy See, say reliable sources in Rome.

• Wednesday, April 15th 2009 - 05:14 UTC

  French fishermen block Channel ports to protests EU quotas

  

  French fishing boats have mounted a blockade of three Channel ports, interrupting ferry and freight traffic in a dispute over fishing quotas. At Calais, Boulogne and Dunkirk fishing fleets are preventing ships entering or leaving the harbour.

• Wednesday, April 15th 2009 - 05:08 UTC

  Germany bans GM maize; “scientific and not political” decision

  

  Germany is to ban the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) maize - the only GM crop widely grown in Europe. The decision, announced on Tuesday by German Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner, is a blow to the US biotech firm Monsanto, which markets the maize.

• Wednesday, April 15th 2009 - 05:05 UTC

  “Aurora” round-the-world cruise ends short and with compensation demand

  

  The stricken cruise ship Aurora has arrived back in Britain amid the threat of legal action from passengers, reports The Daily Telegraph. Engine trouble forced the ship to miss out three ports in New Zealand and two in the Pacific Islands on the £16,000 per passenger round-the-world trip.

• Tuesday, April 14th 2009 - 13:33 UTC

  Japanese whaling fleet limps back home with lower catch

  

  Japan’s Fisheries Agency said on Monday ships from the country’s whaling fleet returned to port from the Antarctic Ocean with a lower catch than planned after being harassed by anti-whaling campaigners. The agency also indicated that several ships report some damage from clashes with the conservationists.

• Tuesday, April 14th 2009 - 13:19 UTC

  China optimistic about recovery but ready to “spend more”

  

  China's economy is showing some signs of recovery from the global financial crisis, the country's Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has said. The economy is showing “positive changes” but still faces “very big difficulties”, he said on the sidelines of Thailand's cancelled Asean summit.