International

• Saturday, September 4th 2010 - 04:51 UTC

  International tourists arrivals up 7% in half year; Asia and Middle East lead

  

  The first six months of 2010 saw international tourist arrivals grow by 7% according to the August Interim Update of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. This result confirms the recovery trend beginning in the last quarter of 2009 and is expected to continue in the second half of the year at a somewhat more moderate rate but with Asia and Middle East continuing to lead.

• Saturday, September 4th 2010 - 04:44 UTC

  “Faster than anticipated recovery” for air passenger and cargo traffic says IATA

  

  Demand for international passenger and cargo traffic increased 9.2% and 22.7% respectively in July compared to the same month a year ago, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The year-on-year comparisons for July were less than the June growth data showing 11.6% and 26.6% increases respectively.

• Friday, September 3rd 2010 - 05:14 UTC

  Manufacturing growth data from the US and China helps boost markets

  

  Manufacturing growth in the US and China improved in August, helping to boost global stock markets. The US sector expanded for its 13th straight month in August, according to the Institute for Supply Management.

• Friday, September 3rd 2010 - 05:11 UTC

  Former PM Blair warns Labour not to drift to the left

  

  As voting began in the election to choose a new British Labour leader, former prime minister Tony Blair issued a warning to the party not to drift to the left. Although he made no endorsement in his memoirs, published this week, of any of the five candidates to succeed Gordon Brown, Mr Blair's comments will be seen as a mark of support for front-runner David Miliband over his brother Ed.

• Friday, September 3rd 2010 - 05:03 UTC

  Sweet busting: eleven indicted for biggest food smuggling case in US history.

  

  US authorities have indicted 11 German and Chinese executives for conspiring to illegally import 40 million US dollars of honey from China. The executives were accused of being part of an operation which mislabelled honey and tainted it with antibiotics in an attempt to avoid import duties.

• Friday, September 3rd 2010 - 03:30 UTC

  Wheat climbs as Russia extends ban on exports until next year’s crop

  

  Wheat climbed after Russia, the third-largest grower last year, extended a ban on exports into next year following a drought destroyed crops, tightening global supplies. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization called a special meeting to address the global grains situation.

• Thursday, September 2nd 2010 - 21:41 UTC

  Anti-corruption academy with UN and EU sponsoring opens in Austria

  

  An anti-corruption academy co-sponsored by the United Nations opened Thursday in Austria with the aim of filling the rising global need for training, research and contemporary measures and techniques in the fight against corruption.

• Thursday, September 2nd 2010 - 07:06 UTC

  Australia confirms it’s a world wine power and agrees labelling with the EU

  

  A new labelling deal with Australia may make Europe's winemakers feel more than a little light-headed as imitations will no longer be sold with names like champagne and sherry.

• Wednesday, September 1st 2010 - 19:34 UTC

  Chinese sovereign fund takes control of 10% of Morgan Stanley’s

  

  The U.S. Federal Reserve Board announced it has approved the application by China Investment Corporation (CIC) to buy up to 10% of voting shares of investment giant Morgan Stanley.

• Wednesday, September 1st 2010 - 19:08 UTC

  Wheat prices drive FAO food prize index at its highest since September 2008

  

  Surging wheat prices drove international food prices up 5% last month in the biggest month-on-month increase since November 2009, FAO announced. The FAO Food Price Index (FPI) averaged 176 points in August, up nearly nine points from July, FAO said in its latest update on the global cereals supply and demand situation.