International

• Friday, August 2nd 2013 - 02:56 UTC

  Overall feeling that corruption in the Americas in the rise, says watchdog group

  

  From the US capital Washington D.C. to Caracas, people throughout the Americas feel that corruption in sectors of society is on the rise, according to a survey from the watchdog group, Transparency International.

• Friday, August 2nd 2013 - 02:51 UTC

  US ‘extremely disappointed’ with Russian asylum to leaker Snowden

  

  White House officials say they are “extremely disappointed” by Russia’s decision to grant asylum for one year to Edward Snowden, who is accused of leaking U.S. government secrets. Officials are deciding how to respond.

• Friday, August 2nd 2013 - 02:47 UTC

  Bank of England leaves rates unchanged as UK economy seems to be picking up

  

  Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has left interest rates at 0.5%. The key borrowing rate has been at that level since March 2009. MPC also said it would make no change to the £375bn of monetary stimulus it is providing through its quantitative easing program (QE).

• Friday, August 2nd 2013 - 02:42 UTC

  Euro rates to remain unchanged for extended period of time, says ECB

  

  The European Central Bank left interest rates at a record low 0.5% on Thursday and said that they will remain there for some while to come and could yet fall further. ECB President Mario Draghi hinted that policy would not be tightened until well into next year at the earliest, although the central bank will give no time horizon for when rates might move.

• Friday, August 2nd 2013 - 02:33 UTC

  France’s Council of State lifts ban on growing GM corn from Monsanto

  

  The battle over growing genetically modified crops in France flared anew on Thursday as the country's top administrative court overturned a government ban on growing GM corn sold by the US giant Monsanto.

• Thursday, August 1st 2013 - 03:08 UTC

  Gibraltar’s artificial reef anticipates tougher times ahead for relations with Spain

  

  The Spanish Ministry for Agriculture, Food and Environment has filed a complaint over Gibraltar’s artificial reef at the office of Spain’s environmental prosecutor, a section of the state’s prosecution service that specialises in investigating environmental offences.

• Thursday, August 1st 2013 - 02:59 UTC

  Brazil criticizes IMF for latest aid to Greece: worst fears could be confirmed

  

  A group of Latin American countries refused to back an IMF move this week to keep bankrolling Greece, citing risks of non-repayment, and the Fund itself said Athens might need faster debt relief from Europe.

• Thursday, August 1st 2013 - 02:52 UTC

  Falklands’ war: UK deployed laser weapon to ‘dazzle’ enemy pilots, say released documents

  

  The United Kingdom deployed a laser weapon during the Falkland Islands 1982 war with Argentina designed to “dazzle” enemy pilots who were attacking British warships, according to secret documents released Wednesday.

• Wednesday, July 31st 2013 - 18:13 UTC

  Marine antibiotic compound, anthracimycin could help fight new ‘super-bugs’

  

  A completely new and unusual antibiotic compound has been extracted from a marine micro-organism found in sediments off the coast of California. The discovery of genuinely novel antibiotics is rare, and experts say resistance to the drugs poses a grave threat to human health.

• Wednesday, July 31st 2013 - 17:59 UTC

  Pfizer agrees to pay 491m dollars to settle illegal marketing of Rapamune

  

  US drug-maker Pfizer has agreed to pay 491 million dollars to settle a probe into illegal marketing of a drug by Wyeth, a firm it had acquired in 2009. The case revolved around Rapamune, a drug prescribed to prevent rejection of transplanted kidneys.