International

• Tuesday, October 4th 2011 - 19:52 UTC

  Federal Reserve tries to calm markets; promises further action to prop the economy

  

  The Federal Reserve is prepared to take further steps to help a fragile economic recovery held back by a weak job market and financial stresses in Europe, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Tuesday.

• Tuesday, October 4th 2011 - 06:53 UTC

  UK relation with OTs (including Falklands) is based on ‘the choices of the peoples’

  

  The United Kingdom relationship with the Overseas Territories “is based on the choices of the peoples” said Monday British representative Philip Parham before the UN Fourth Committee on Decolonization in response to several statements from Latin American delegates regarding the Falkland Islands and sovereignty discussions with Argentina.

• Tuesday, October 4th 2011 - 06:45 UTC

  EU farm losses from trade deal with Mercosur ‘would range 1 to 3 billion Euros’

  

  European Union farmers could suffer losses ranking from one to three billion Euros if a trade agreement is finally agreed with Mercosur according to a European Commission evaluation paper on the impact.

• Tuesday, October 4th 2011 - 06:37 UTC

  FAO sponsors protecting trees and forests in cities to improve urban live hood

  

  Focused policies and investments aimed at protecting and managing forest and trees in and around cities are needed to strengthen urban livelihoods and improve city environments, as the world becomes increasingly urbanized.

• Tuesday, October 4th 2011 - 06:34 UTC

  Spain concerned it might loose control of its flagship oil company Repsol

  

  Spain’s government is concerned that the country’s hydrocarbons flagship Repsol-YPF could fall into foreign hands following the 30% voting block made up of Mexico’s Pemex and construction company Sacyr Vallehermoso.

• Monday, October 3rd 2011 - 21:43 UTC

  Overly restrictive fiscal measures unlikely to solve EU crisis, warns Rousseff

  

  Overly restrictive fiscal measures are unlikely to solve the European Union's debt crisis, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said on Monday in Brussels in the sidelines of the V strategic meeting between the European Union and Brazil.

• Monday, October 3rd 2011 - 21:33 UTC

  S&P tells UK to stick to plans to cut budget deficit if not credit ratings could be reviewed

  

  Britain's prized triple-A sovereign debt rating could come under pressure if the government strays from its path of public deficit cuts in the face of weaker growth, credit agency Standard & Poor's said on Monday.

• 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.