International

• Wednesday, August 18th 2010 - 19:16 UTC

  Australian PM wants to cut ties with British monarchy and establish a republic

  

  Australia should drop its ties to the British monarchy when the Queen’s reign ends, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said this week in the midst of national election campaigning.

• Wednesday, August 18th 2010 - 19:11 UTC

  Bank of England warns about high inflation; rate won’t drop to 2% until mid 2012

  

  The Governor of the Bank of England warned of the dangers of ‘destructive’ high inflation after admitting his surprise that the rise in the UK cost of living continues to overshoot targets, according to a report in the Daily Mail.

• Wednesday, August 18th 2010 - 04:28 UTC

  China points out: second-largest economy but not second largest economic power

  

  This week’s news that China had overtaken Japan to become the world's second-largest economy in the second quarter of this year made headlines around the world. The economic milestone was seen as a telling confirmation of the shifting balance of economic power in Asia, and as a culmination of China's stunning three-decade economic resurgence.

• Wednesday, August 18th 2010 - 04:24 UTC

  Wheat futures advance as Ukraine follows Russia and imposes export quota

  

  Wheat futures advanced for the first time in four sessions in Chicago trading after Ukraine, the second-largest exporter in the former Soviet Union last year, said it will probably limit overseas sales, following Russia’s restrictions on trade.

• Wednesday, August 18th 2010 - 03:47 UTC

  Harvard consolidates as top US academic research institution

  

  Harvard University took sole possession of first place in U.S. News & World Report’s 2011 rankings of top United States academic research institutions. Princeton University, which tied with Harvard for the lead last year, fell to second place.

• Wednesday, August 18th 2010 - 03:34 UTC

  Balmoral to retrace in April 2012 centenary of the Titanic route

  

  Relatives of those who perished on the Titanic will be boarding a cruise to mark the 2012 centenary of the sinking of the vessel. A special ceremony will take place on board the cruise ship Balmoral 100 years on from the exact time the Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic on the night of April 15 1912.

• Wednesday, August 18th 2010 - 02:58 UTC

  Whiskey’s noblesse: super bio-fuel (butanol) from distilleries by products

  

  Topping up at the petrol pump is about to take an intriguing twist as cars are set to be fuelled with a new super bio-fuel, made from whisky by-products. Edinburgh Napier University has filed a patent for the new bio-fuel, which can be used in ordinary cars, without any special adaptations needed.

• Wednesday, August 18th 2010 - 00:38 UTC

  Environmentally friendly mini-cows latest trend in US farms

  

  They have become the latest trend in United States farms and an estimated 20.000 miniature cattle, weighing less than 300 kilos, are believed to be successfully breeding and could be indicating the future for environmentally-friendly beef.

• Tuesday, August 17th 2010 - 09:20 UTC

  Chinese biggest state-owned bank raises 22 billion in initial public offering

  

  Agricultural Bank of China raised a record 22.1 billion USD in its initial public offering (IPO) in July despite a lukewarm response when the shares first went on sale. The IPO is the last by China's four biggest state-owned banks.

• Tuesday, August 17th 2010 - 09:04 UTC

  Remarkable photos of the August 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Prague

  

  The Argentine foundation for the endowment of art and culture OSDE has opened an exhibition in Buenos Aires which recalls the Soviet invasion of Prague in 1968. The remarkable photographs were taken during one week in August of 1968, which capture the Soviet-led invasion of Prague.