International

Friday, December 18th 2009 - 08:16 UTC
It’s a very merry Christmas for British Airways travellers

One million air travellers have breathed a sigh of relief after a British judge ruled that a planned 12-day Christmas strike by British Airways cabin crew could not go ahead. The airline won its legal challenge after claiming that Unite had balloted hundreds of members who had subsequently left the company.
Friday, December 18th 2009 - 08:08 UTC
European Parliament approves 2010 budget: almost half for agriculture

The European Parliament has approved a 122.9bn Euro EU budget for 2010 - nearly half of which is to go to agriculture and natural resources. It is a 6% increase on the 2009 budget, which was worth 116bn Euros.
Friday, December 18th 2009 - 03:40 UTC
Air Italy takes over air bridge UK/Falklands for the next few weeks

British military personnel were assured Thursday that they would not be stranded in the Falkland Islands despite the collapse of the only airline that flies direct to the Islands from the UK.
Friday, December 18th 2009 - 03:20 UTC
UK/Argentina: Tension over Falklands “likely to increase over the coming years”

Argentina has had to reduce military expenditure because of the recession but tension with the UK over the Falkland Islands is likely to increase over the coming years, according to a report from Companiesandmarkets.com (*) released this week.
Thursday, December 17th 2009 - 05:04 UTC
How Copenhagen will affect international security

The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen has been billed as 'the most important gathering in human history'. Without binding commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stabilise expectations, climate change will have a huge impact on future security considerations.
By Duncan Depledge for RUSI.org (*)
Wednesday, December 16th 2009 - 23:33 UTC
Leading case: EU Court ruling supports non disclosure of press sources

Judges at the European Court of Human Rights said that four British newspapers and a news agency were right to defy a court order to disclose documents that would have identified the source of a story about a multimillion pound City takeover in 2001.
Wednesday, December 16th 2009 - 23:25 UTC
UK record: one in five working age people economically inactive

Youth unemployment in the United Kingdom has reached a record high as the jobless total nudged 2.5 million, the worst total since the mid-1990s. The number of 16 to 24-year-olds out of work was 952,000 in the three months to October, a quarterly rise of 6,000 and the highest figure since records began in 1992.
Wednesday, December 16th 2009 - 23:09 UTC
EU fishing fleets agree to cut catches of cod, haddock and sole

The EU says European fishing fleets will have to cut their catches of cod, haddock and sole next year, but a ban on anchovy fishing has been lifted. The quota for cod fishing is being cut by 15-35%, depending on the area. But there is an exemption for cod fishing in West Scotland and the Celtic Sea.
Wednesday, December 16th 2009 - 07:38 UTC
Moody’s warns about deterioration of sovereign triple-A ratings

Sovereign debt risk is rising globally, particularly in the United States and United Kingdom, which must outline plans to manage public debt or face ratings deterioration as soon as 2011, Moody's global head of sovereign ratings said this week.
Wednesday, December 16th 2009 - 07:33 UTC
Climate Change: We Are All In The Same Boat

Global warming does not respect borders; a mindset shift is required if world leaders are to save us from ourselves
By Kofi Annan