
More than 800 people have had their telephones illegally hacked by the now-defunct News of the World tabloid, British police investigating the alleged practice said on Saturday.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said agreements reached at an EU summit this week will solve the Euro zone's debt crisis and that Germany needs a strong Europe.

Argentina's new Vice President and Speaker of the Senate Amado Boudou met on Friday with Chinese President Hu Jintao's special envoy Jiang Shusheng to further promote bilateral relations.

Divisions over Europe within the British coalition government were exposed when David Cameron's deputy said an EU summit that ended with the prime minister deploying his veto was a bitter disappointment and bad for Britain.

The agreement reached by European countries for deeper economic integration was a step in the right direction but not a complete solution for the Euro zone's debt crisis, International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief economist Olivier Blanchard said.

China faces severe challenges to its exports due to economic difficulties in key Western markets, the country's commerce ministry has warned. Data has shown a sharp slowdown in export growth in November, the ministry said.

China's rate of inflation has fallen in November to its slowest pace in 14-months. Consumer prices rose at 4.2% compared with the same month last year, the National Bureau of Statistics said this week.

Falklands Battle Day was commemorated in Britain this year on Saturday December 10th at the Cenotaph, in fine sunny weather.

Ratings agency Moody's downgraded the debt of BNP Paribas, Societe Generale, and Credit Agricole on Friday, citing deteriorating liquidity and funding conditions.

British PM David Cameron has defended his decision to block an EU-wide treaty change to tackle the Euro zone crisis, despite warnings it will leave the UK isolated.