International

• Friday, August 7th 2009 - 03:36 UTC

  Great Train Robber Biggs released on “compassionate grounds”

  

  Britain’s Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs was granted on Thursday release from his prison sentence on compassionate grounds. Justice Secretary Jack Straw said the decision was based on medical evidence that Biggs's condition had deteriorated and he was not expected to recover.

• Friday, August 7th 2009 - 03:19 UTC

  Thousands at the funeral procession of the last WW I British veteran

  

  Thousands of people have lined the streets to watch the funeral procession of the last British veteran of the First World War trenches. Harry Patch, 111, the Last Tommy, who did not want a state funeral, was honoured at a service at Wells Cathedral, Somerset.

• Thursday, August 6th 2009 - 16:43 UTC

  Russia sells Bolivia presidential aircraft similar to that of Putin

  

  Bolivia signed this week an agreement with Russia for the purchase of a presidential jet plus military equipment and logistics backup, financed in the first leg with a 100 million US dollars credit, announced Defence minister Walker San Miguel.

• Thursday, August 6th 2009 - 16:24 UTC

  EU urges UK and Spain to solve Gibraltar waters’ row

  

  European Commissioner Stavros Dimas has been urging UK and Spain to work “towards a mutually acceptable” resolution of the Gibraltar waters designation row it has emerged, reports the Gibraltar Chronicle.

• Thursday, August 6th 2009 - 16:17 UTC

  Soaring bad debts at Lloyds Banking Group but “worst is over”

  

  Lloyds Banking Group which has been partly nationalized by the British government blamed soaring bad debt charges of £13.4 billion on reckless lending at HBOS, but predicted the worst is over.

• Thursday, August 6th 2009 - 16:14 UTC

  China appeases peasants with partly subsidized new pension scheme

  

  The Chinese government is to introduce a new pension scheme for the country's hundreds of millions of rural workers. The minister for social security announced that a trial scheme would be extended across China by October.

• Thursday, August 6th 2009 - 16:09 UTC

  Hazardous waste illegally sent to Brazil returned to UK

  

  Brazil announced it was returning 1.500 tonnes of hazardous waste that arrived from Britain labelled as recyclable plastic. The Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources said 89 containers left for Felixstowe, UK from the port of Santos on board MSC Oriane.

• Thursday, August 6th 2009 - 03:40 UTC

  The future of Antarctic science will depend on international cooperation

  

  The National Antarctic Programs have reached a consensus that international cooperation will be the clue for the future development of polar science. This is the main topic of discussion at the XXI Annual Meeting of the Council of Managers of Antarctic Programs (COMNAP), especially with increased costs associated with support, logistics and infrastructure necessary to carry out the scientific research in the White Continent.

• Tuesday, August 4th 2009 - 09:33 UTC

  Two UK main banks report combined half year profits of £ 6 billion

  

  British banks Barclays and HSBC have shrugged off the near-collapse of the financial system to report combined half-year profits of almost £6 billion. The duo - which both avoided taxpayer support at the height of last autumn's crisis - posted profits of nearly £3 billion each, mainly due to strong investment banking results.

• Tuesday, August 4th 2009 - 09:15 UTC

  Protecting UK bank savers from the credit crisis reached £ 21 billion

  

  The cost of protecting United Kingdom savers during the credit crisis has been revealed by the body set up to compensate victims of banking collapses.