International

• Wednesday, April 22nd 2009 - 02:00 UTC

  British government set to cut MPs “second home allowance”

  

  The controversial second home allowance for British members of Parliament could be axed within days after Prime Minister Gordon Brown demanded an urgent Commons vote on reforms.

• Wednesday, April 22nd 2009 - 00:42 UTC

  Spain calls on EU partners for greater interest in Latinamerica

  

  Spain’s Foreign Affairs minister Miguel Angel Moratinos has called on other members of the European Union to follow the example of United States and leave aside the lack of interest on having an intense relation with Latinamerica.

• Wednesday, April 22nd 2009 - 00:41 UTC

  Negative inflation in UK; first time since March 1960

  

  The UK has experienced its first period of deflation in almost 50 years. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation fell to minus 0.4% last month, down from 0% in February, the first negative reading since March 1960.

• Tuesday, April 21st 2009 - 16:25 UTC

  Britain's Queen Elizabeth II turns 83

  

  The monarch will be spending the day privately at Windsor Castle with the Duke of Edinburgh.

• Tuesday, April 21st 2009 - 08:32 UTC

  Keep slim, help fight climate change, says Epidemiology Journal

  

  Getting back to the relatively slim, trim days of the 1970s would help to tackle climate change, researchers say. The rising numbers of people who are overweight and obese in the UK means the nation uses 19% more food than 40 years ago, a study suggests.

• Monday, April 20th 2009 - 06:41 UTC

  UK crucial budget battle anticipated for next Wednesday

  

  British Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling is attempting to boost confidence in the UK economy ahead of Wednesday's crucial Budget statement, despite claims the UK faces the longest recession since the Second World War.

• Sunday, April 19th 2009 - 04:49 UTC

  Climate change could reverse forests’ carbon absorption functions

  

  Forests' role as massive carbon sinks is “at risk of being lost entirely”, top forestry scientists have warned. The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) says forests are under increasing degrees of stress as a result of climate change.

• Saturday, April 18th 2009 - 10:45 UTC

  All pictures in London and Blackpool “verboten” by British police orders

  

  The Austrian tourists who say they were forced by police to delete images of London buses amid terrorism fears have received help from the UK to recover their lost pictures.
  Klaus Matzka and his son were left in shock when police demanded they stopped taking pictures of London buses and delete all such images immediately.

• Saturday, April 18th 2009 - 05:34 UTC

  Latinamerica looks to China to increase trade and investments

  

  Latinamerica is hopeful that an increase in trade with China and investments from the Asian giant will help compensate lost business with the United States and the European Union because of the global crisis.

• Saturday, April 18th 2009 - 05:32 UTC

  Top economist says UK economy “could have started a recovery”

  

  There are signs the British economy may already have started a recovery, according to economist David Miles. He is due to join the Bank of England's rate-setting body next June.