International

• Monday, October 3rd 2011 - 21:29 UTC

  Gillnets pushing Maui dolphins towards extinction says marine experts

  

  The world's most endangered sea dolphins are sliding towards extinction in the face of damaging fishing methods, experts are warning. Hector's dolphins are found only around New Zealand, where the population has fallen from 30,000 to around 7,000 since nylon fishing nets came into use in the 1970s, a conference on marine bio-diversity in Aberdeen will hear on Thursday.

• Monday, October 3rd 2011 - 16:57 UTC

  Denmark taxes food with more than 2.3% of saturated fat

  

  In a bid to encourage healthier eating among its citizens, Denmark has introduced a tax on foods containing more than 2.3% saturated fat. As from last Saturday, all such products in Denmark now carry a tax to the tune of 16 Danish krone (2.86 dollars) per kilogram of saturated fat that goes into making them.

• Monday, October 3rd 2011 - 07:57 UTC

  Rare Dolan ram has a going price in China of £ 1.4 million

  

  Only 1,000 Dolan sheep exist in the world, according to breeders, and their extraordinary features have made them the latest collectors' item for ultra-rich Chinese, writes the Daily Telegraph.

• Monday, October 3rd 2011 - 07:46 UTC

  Eight countries agree to giant shark sanctuaries banning commercial fishing

  

  Leaders from eight countries launched an initiative to prevent the extinction of sharks, symbolizing the latest development in the growing movement to safeguard the ocean's top predator. Members of the coalition committed to a declaration supporting the development of sanctuaries that end commercial shark fishing in their national waters.

• Monday, October 3rd 2011 - 07:33 UTC

  Thousands demonstrate at the Conservatives’ conference in Manchester

  

  An estimated 35,000 people have turned out in Manchester to demonstrate at the governing Conservative Party's annual conference, which opened on Sunday. The march was organised by the Trades Union Congress, which billed it as a rally for “the alternative - jobs, growth, and justice”.

• Monday, October 3rd 2011 - 07:22 UTC

  Rousseff and Blatter to discuss disputes regarding organization of 2014 World Cup

  

  Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff plans to meet the president of soccer's world governing body on Monday to resolve a legal dispute over the 2014 World Cup, the Estado de S. Paulo newspaper reported.

• Monday, October 3rd 2011 - 05:15 UTC

  Record bikini parade in Australia’s Gold Coast becomes instant success

  

  A successful Guinness World Record attempt for the longest bikini parade has turned into priceless advertising for Australia’s Gold Coast, admit city officials.

• Saturday, October 1st 2011 - 05:36 UTC

  UK worst place to live in Europe for quality of life, says uSwitch.com

  

  The UK is now the worst place to live in Europe for quality of life and overall wellbeing, according to research by comparison site uSwitch.com. The high cost of living and work-driven culture means that Britain now sits at the bottom of a Quality of Life index. Ireland doesn’t come far behind in second place.

• Saturday, October 1st 2011 - 05:30 UTC

  Banks and bonds of Italy and Spain need to be protected, warns Soros

  

  Policymakers have lost control of the economic crisis and financial markets are forcing the world into a depression, George Soros said on Friday, urging Europe to create a common Treasury, recapitalize its banks and protect vulnerable states.

• Saturday, October 1st 2011 - 03:28 UTC

  Royal Navy begins redundancy program to cut Service personnel by 5.000

  

  As part of the UK Armed Forces Redundancy Program, and following on from the Army and the RAF earlier this month, on Friday the Royal Navy begun notifying personnel selected for redundancy in Tranche 1 of the program.