International

• Monday, March 9th 2009 - 10:12 UTC

  Royal message on 60th anniversary of the Commonwealth

  

  On the 60th anniversary of the British Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II message underlines the continuing values and goals on which the organization rests: freedom, democracy and human rights; equality and equity; development and prosperity.

• Saturday, March 7th 2009 - 15:04 UTC

  Chilean caught in Spain with broken leg cast made of cocaine

  

  Spanish police arrested a man arriving at Barcelona's airport from Chile on a wheelchair after determining that the cast on his fractured left leg was made of cocaine, the Interior Ministry said in a statement Friday.

• Saturday, March 7th 2009 - 15:03 UTC

  Lloyds Banking Group full nationalization closer

  

  Britain’s Lloyds Banking Group is close to a deal with the government for a £258bn asset insurance scheme, according to BBC sources. The agreement could increase the taxpayer's share in the bank from its current level of 43% to as much as 70%, according to reports.

• Friday, March 6th 2009 - 10:30 UTC

  Gibraltar: Spain praises Princess Anne “low profile” visit

  

  A leading Spanish Senator welcomed Gibraltar’s Chief Minister’s decision not to greet the Princess Royal at the runway when she arrived on an official visit to the Rock

• Friday, March 6th 2009 - 09:03 UTC

  China’s “most difficult year” sends shivers to Mercosur

  

  Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has said the current year will be the most difficult the country has faced this century because of the global economic crisis. Addressing parliament this week, Mr Wen reiterated that there would be a 585 billion US dollars investment program to stimulate the Chinese economy.

• Friday, March 6th 2009 - 09:01 UTC

  UK cuts rates to 0.5% and unveils plan “to ease” £ 150 billion

  

  The Bank of England slashed Thursday rates to 0.5% and unveiled plans to pump up to £150 billion into the economy in its boldest bid yet to tackle the recession. Official borrowing costs have now fallen for six months in a row but the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee believes rate cuts alone will not be enough.

• Friday, March 6th 2009 - 09:00 UTC

  Trichet promises “non standard measures” to prop Euro economy

  

  The European Central Bank (ECB) has cut its key interest rate to 1.5% from 2.0%, the lowest since it started setting euro rates in January 1999. It followed a cut in UK rates by the Bank of England. US and Japanese rates are, in effect, already at zero.

• Thursday, March 5th 2009 - 17:09 UTC

  Gibraltar & recession: “little Britain in the sun”, or the Rock?

  

  At the Gibraltar border, a steady stream of pedestrians and vehicles enters the territory. It is mid-morning, and the Spanish are coming. Overhead, the Union flag flutters nervously, as it has, in one form or other, since Spain ceded the Rock to the UK in 1713.

• Thursday, March 5th 2009 - 17:05 UTC

  Brown urges US not to succumb to protectionism

  

  Gordon Brown has received a standing ovation from the US Congress after he called for a renewal “of the special relationship for our generation”. Mr Brown, the fifth UK prime minister in history to address both houses on Capitol Hill, urged the US and UK to push for “essential” economic changes.

• Thursday, March 5th 2009 - 16:50 UTC

  Princess Anne in Gibraltar amid Spanish complaints

  

  HRH Princess Anne arrived in Gibraltar Wednesday on an official visit to the disputed territory that has stirred up old tensions between Britain and Spain. The Spanish government made an official complaint to British authorities ahead of the royal visit describing it as “inopportune” and an affront to Spain, which contests London's rule over the strategic territory.