International

• Wednesday, November 16th 2011 - 05:01 UTC

  EC sets forward strict rules for credit rating agencies

  

  The European Commission has put forward stricter rules for the credit rating agencies that rank countries' and companies' debt. The rules says agencies, including Standard & Poor's, Moody's and Fitch, should follow stricter standards, be more transparent about their ratings and be held accountable for their mistakes.

• Tuesday, November 15th 2011 - 21:59 UTC

  Greece and banks begin discussing bonds’ 50% haircut and swap

  

  Greece and private bondholders begun working on a deal to halve its public debt, a key pillar of a bailout plan to save the country from bankruptcy and ejection from the euro zone, sources said.

• Tuesday, November 15th 2011 - 20:40 UTC

  Falklands turns out for Remembrance Day and to honour Islanders killed in active service

  

  Last Sunday was Remembrance Sunday, the nearest Sunday to Armistice Day, the anniversary of the ending of the First World War, which came at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.

• Tuesday, November 15th 2011 - 17:23 UTC

  Pod of 65 pilot whales stranded in New Zealand; high tide could save 34

  

  Half of a pod of sixty-five pilot whales stranded on the northern tip of New Zealand’s southern island have died and the surviving 34 are stuck in shallow water, between two and three kilometres offshore.

• Tuesday, November 15th 2011 - 17:04 UTC

  Contract for infrastructure defence support in Falklands, Gibraltar and Ascension

  

  A UK-based company named as the Ministry of Defence’s new infrastructure support provider in Gibraltar has also won contracts for other British complexes in the Falkland Islands, Ascension Island and Cyprus as well as Gibraltar.

• Tuesday, November 15th 2011 - 06:43 UTC

  Monti begins round of contacts with major parties; confirms 2013 elections

  

  Italy's Prime Minister-designate Mario Monti said on Monday his first day of talks for a new government were constructive and he hoped to form an administration that could take the country through to the next scheduled elections in 2013.

• Tuesday, November 15th 2011 - 06:40 UTC

  Greek ‘technocrat’ PM faces confidence motion Wednesday

  

  Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos said on Monday the policies tied to Athens' international bailout had worsened a recession and pushed unemployment higher, but the problem could be mitigated with reforms.

• Monday, November 14th 2011 - 21:02 UTC

  None of world major economies will escape a slowdown forecasts the OECD

  

  None of the world's major economies will escape a slowdown, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development said, highlighting increasing signs that growth momentum is dwindling across the board.

• Monday, November 14th 2011 - 20:58 UTC

  Merkel calls for EU political union as long term solution to Euro crisis

  

  As technocrats leaders in Italy and Greece rush to form governments as they sought to limit the damage from the Euro zone debt crisis – and the Euro climbed on relief that a key Italian bond auction drew decent demand from investors – German chancellor Angela Merkel stepped up to defend Europe’s common currency.

• Monday, November 14th 2011 - 20:51 UTC

  Brazilian trade minister and 53 companies on African business round

  

  A business mission of 53 companies organised by the Brazilian government plans to begin a tour of Mozambique, Angola and South Africa on 21 November, an Apex-Brasil official said in Sao Paulo.