International

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.
Wednesday, April 15th 2009 - 05:14 UTC
French fishermen block Channel ports to protests EU quotas

French fishing boats have mounted a blockade of three Channel ports, interrupting ferry and freight traffic in a dispute over fishing quotas. At Calais, Boulogne and Dunkirk fishing fleets are preventing ships entering or leaving the harbour.
Wednesday, April 15th 2009 - 05:08 UTC
Germany bans GM maize; “scientific and not political” decision

Germany is to ban the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) maize - the only GM crop widely grown in Europe. The decision, announced on Tuesday by German Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner, is a blow to the US biotech firm Monsanto, which markets the maize.
Wednesday, April 15th 2009 - 05:05 UTC
“Aurora” round-the-world cruise ends short and with compensation demand

The stricken cruise ship Aurora has arrived back in Britain amid the threat of legal action from passengers, reports The Daily Telegraph. Engine trouble forced the ship to miss out three ports in New Zealand and two in the Pacific Islands on the £16,000 per passenger round-the-world trip.