International

• Wednesday, November 16th 2011 - 18:04 UTC

  Italian cabinet, totally technocrat, sworn in; parties promise support for reforms

  

  Mario Monti formed a new technocrat government in Italy Wednesday to tackle a major debt crisis threatening the entire Euro zone and said he hoped it would placate financial markets.

• Wednesday, November 16th 2011 - 14:45 UTC

  The ‘super-connected’ 1.318 corporations of global economic power

  

  As protestors against financial power sweep the world this week, science may have confirmed the protesters' worst fears. An analysis of the relationships between 43.000 transnational corporations has identified a relatively small group of companies, mainly banks, with disproportionate power over the global economy.

• Wednesday, November 16th 2011 - 14:40 UTC

  China, Japan, Canada urge greater action from the EU on the Euro crisis

  

  Non-European policymakers joined US President Barak Obama in urging greater action from the European Union to deal with the two year old crisis, and came as equity markets fell in response to a sell-off in euro zone bond markets.

• Wednesday, November 16th 2011 - 14:36 UTC

  ECB moves in to stop sell-off of EU bonds; Obama calls for stronger political will

  

  The European Central Bank stepped in on Wednesday to stem an accelerating sell-off of Euro zone government bonds, traders said, after the United States called for more decisive action to halt a spreading sovereign debt crisis.

• Wednesday, November 16th 2011 - 14:33 UTC

  Brazil says BRICS is large enough for the moment

  

  Brazil does not want to see the BRICS group of emerging countries enlarged for the time being but demands the developing world be given a greater say in international bodies, the country's foreign minister said on Wednesday.

• Wednesday, November 16th 2011 - 05:11 UTC

  US will “keep reminding” Argentina it must comply with international obligations

  

  The administration of President Barak Obama reaffirmed its decision to “keep reminding” Argentina of the need to comply with its international obligations as well as the importance of upholding an investment climate ‘transparent and fair’ that includes paying creditors, points out a piece from Buenos Aires La Nacion correspondent in Washington.

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

  EU Parliament curbs sovereign debt speculation and short selling limitations

  

  The European Parliament on Tuesday voted into law a regulation to curb short selling and trading in credit default swaps (CDS), a financial product for insuring against default.

• 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.