International

• Friday, April 17th 2009 - 08:48 UTC

  IMF predicts 2009 as “an awful year” but all are aware it’s a “global crisis”

  

  The head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, said Thursday that 2009 is essentially a lost year for the world economy, with millions of people at risk of being thrown back into poverty.

• Friday, April 17th 2009 - 08:22 UTC

  Gibraltar-Madrid daily flights will resume next April 30

  

  Flights between Gibraltar and Spanish capital Madrid will be resumed later this month (April 30th) according to Andalus General Director Fernando Guerrero, who made the announcement this week at a presentation by the regional airline in the Campo Mancomunidad, in Algeciras.

• Friday, April 17th 2009 - 07:25 UTC

  French fishermen suspend blockade of English Channel ports

  

  French fishermen suspended their blockade at three English Channel ports Thursday, allowing ferry traffic and freight to move through after two days of disruption, union leaders said.

• Thursday, April 16th 2009 - 12:00 UTC

  Fishing quotas dispute forces cancelling of Dover/Calais ferries

  

  Ferry operator P&O has cancelled all Dover to Calais crossings due to a blockade by French fishing boats. The blockade at the port of Calais is also causing motorway disruption in Kent, police have said.

• Thursday, April 16th 2009 - 04:47 UTC

  Prime Minister Brown warns UK offshore tax havens

  

  British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has written to the UK’s offshore tax havens – including Gibraltar – warning them to meet international transparency standards within six months or face sanctions, reports the Gibraltar Chronicle.

• 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.