International

• Monday, October 17th 2011 - 06:39 UTC

  Red Cross world report says there are more obese people than chronically hungry

  

  The Red Cross has come out with a report which reveals that ironically today there are more obese people in the world compared to those who suffer from chronic hunger. The organization reports that last year there were 1.5 billion obese people compared to 925 million undernourished people.

• Monday, October 17th 2011 - 06:34 UTC

  Every day a billion people go to sleep feeling hungry, recalls UN on Food Day

  

  With nearly one billion people still suffering from food shortages around the globe, the world must take a united stand against hunger, the United Nations said on Sunday 16 October, marking World Food Day.

• Saturday, October 15th 2011 - 18:49 UTC

  Massive global marches against the “financial elites and servant politicians”

  

  Protests at financial mismanagement and government cutbacks have been held in hundreds of cities around the world. Clashes erupted at the biggest rally, in Rome, when riot police intervened after a small group of masked militants attacked property.

• Saturday, October 15th 2011 - 18:42 UTC

  US Treasury freezes the Chinese Yuan manipulation claim controversy

  

  The US Treasury has delayed a ruling on whether China manipulates its currency to gain an unfair trade advantage until later this year. It said the move “will give us a chance to assess progress following several international meetings”. Critics of China say it keeps the Yuan low to keep its exports cheap.

• Saturday, October 15th 2011 - 18:35 UTC

  G20 ministerial meeting puts all its weight behind the coming EU summit

  

  A European Union summit later this month will agree “decisive” measures to tackle the Euro zone debt crisis, the French finance minister announced on Saturday.

• Saturday, October 15th 2011 - 04:23 UTC

  Merkel hits back at critics, insists on regulation of financial markets

  

  German Chancellor Angela Merkel hit back at critics of her Euro zone policy saying it was unacceptable for them to demand bolder action to combat the debt crisis while at the same time resisting steps to rein in financial markets.

• Saturday, October 15th 2011 - 01:33 UTC

  Falklands’ patrol involved in incident with US First Lady Secret Service

  

  United States Secret Service agents told HMS Edinburgh, which is currently patrolling the Falkland Islands, to stop pointing its missiles at Michelle Obama’s hotel room while sailors were holding a ceremony to mark the death of a colleague.

• Friday, October 14th 2011 - 22:00 UTC

  September inflation in China eased but high prices for food remain a concern

  

  Inflation in China eased slightly in September but high prices, especially for food, remain a concern for the country's population. Consumer prices rose 6.1% last month, compared with the same month last year, the National Bureau of Statistics said.

• Friday, October 14th 2011 - 21:56 UTC

  Phillip Hammond new UK Defence Secretary; best-man business cards sinks Fox

  

  Britain’s Defence Secretary Liam Fox has resigned after a week of pressure over his working relationship with friend and self-styled adviser Adam Werritty. Mr Fox was being investigated amid claims he broke the ministerial code.

• Friday, October 14th 2011 - 02:58 UTC

  S&P downgrades Spain’s credit rating on incomplete labour market reforms

  

  Ratings agency Standard and Poor's downgraded the long-term credit rating of Spain by one notch, knocking the Euro down by a third of US cent as it followed hard on the heels of a similar downgrade by Fitch last week.