International

Saturday, December 29th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
United Kingdom: Airport baggage restrictions remain

Some of Britain's major airports have not yet been given permission to relax a rule restricting passengers to one item of hand baggage, the Government has said.
Thursday, December 27th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Titanic struggle for control of global raw materials market

Mining giant Rio Tinto continued to defend itself against an unsolicited offer from larger rival BHP Billiton on Thursday, saying it had greater potential as a standalone company while rumors of possible Chinese offers re-emerged.
Thursday, December 27th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
China supports strong Yuan to curb fuel and food prices

China's Yuan has soared against the US dollar in its biggest post-revaluation daily rise after the central bank signaled a shift in its policy. The Chinese central bank encouraged the jump by setting a very strong daily reference rate or mid-point of 7.3079.
Thursday, December 27th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Pakistan instability impacts markets; boosts oil and gold

The assassination on Thursday of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has sent stock markets falling and boosted prices for oil and gold. The main index on the New York Stock Exchange fell 192 points or 1.4% while prices of government bonds rose.
Saturday, December 22nd 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Former British PM Blair follows family and becomes Catholic

Former British prime minister Tony Blair has become a Roman Catholic, church officials said Saturday, ending widespread speculation that he would switch to the faith of his wife and four children.
Friday, December 21st 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Elizabeth II breaks the mark set by Queen Victoria

Elizabeth, 81, passed the mark set by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria. Her son, Prince Charles, closed in on the title of longest-waiting heir to the throne.
Friday, December 21st 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Japan drops humpbacks from this season's whale killing

Japan announced Friday it was dropping plans to start hunting humpback whales for the first time in four decades after protests led by Australia seeking to spare the popular mammals. It is the first time that Japan has backed down over one of its whaling expeditions, which have been a longstanding strain in its relations with its Western allies.
Friday, December 21st 2007 - 20:00 UTC
London Metro Police cleared over killing of Brazilian citizen

No London Metropolitan Police officers will face disciplinary action over the death of Brazilian natural Jean Charles de Menezes. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) earlier cleared 11 of the 15 officers involved in the case.
Friday, December 21st 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Europe's border-free zone expands to include 9 new states

Forty-eight hours of celebrations are taking place to mark nine new states joining a European border-free zone.
Thursday, December 20th 2007 - 20:00 UTC
Whales believed to have evolved from a deer-like animal

A group of researchers says that the closest known evolutionary cousin of whales, dolphins and porpoises is not the hippopotamus, as conventional wisdom has it, but an extinct deer-like animal roughly the size of a raccoon.