International

• Friday, September 9th 2011 - 02:53 UTC

  OECD urges from G7 and G20 strong signals of leadership and confidence

  

  The outlook for economic growth in developed countries has got much worse in the last three months, the OECD said Thursday, urging leaders of G7 and G20 countries to send strong signals to restore flagging confidence.

• Friday, September 9th 2011 - 01:03 UTC

  Trichet anticipates EU flat growth next 18 months; falls short of ‘new recession’

  

  The Euro fell to a two-month low against the dollar on Thursday after the European Central Bank signalled a pause in its interest-rate tightening cycle that began just five months ago.

• Thursday, September 8th 2011 - 22:24 UTC

  World food prices hold steady at near record; cereals climb further, says FAO

  

  World food prices remained virtually unchanged between July and August 2011 according to the FAO Food Price Index published Thursday. The Index averaged 231 points last month compared to 232 points in July. It was 26% higher than in August 2010 but seven points below its all-time high of 238 points in February 2011.

• Thursday, September 8th 2011 - 22:21 UTC

  Fitch warns it might downgrade China and Japan ratings, but who rates Fitch?

  

  Fitch Ratings warned that it might downgrade China's credit rating within two years as the country's banks struggle with debt loads following a lending surge to help lift the economy during the 2008 financial crisis.

• Thursday, September 8th 2011 - 22:17 UTC

  China and UK to develop offshore trading hub for the Yuan in London

  

  China and the UK are to develop an offshore trading hub for the Yuan based in London. UK Chancellor George Osborne confirmed the agreement after meeting with Chinese vice-premier Wang Qishan in London.

• Thursday, September 8th 2011 - 22:13 UTC

  Bank of England won’t extend liquidity program; leaves rates at minimum

  

  UK interest rates have been held at a record low of 0.5% by the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). Concerns about the strength of the UK economic recovery meant economists had expected rates to remain unchanged as they have been since March 2009.

• Thursday, September 8th 2011 - 16:16 UTC

  Mosquitoes never rest: they rapidly develop resistance to insecticide treated nets

  

  Mosquitoes can rapidly develop resistance to bed nets treated with insecticide, a new study from Senegal suggests. In recent years the nets have become a leading method of preventing malaria, especially in Africa.

• Thursday, September 8th 2011 - 05:58 UTC

  Italy and Spain pass austerity measures to control budgets and debts

  

  Italy and Spain have passed new austerity measures as they battle to control their debts. Italy's upper house of parliament approved an austerity package which should cut its deficit by some 54 billion Euros over three years.

• Thursday, September 8th 2011 - 02:48 UTC

  Soros predicts Euro crisis could be worse than Lehman Brothers

  

  Billionaire George Soros believes that the current crisis of the Euro zone has the ‘potential to be a lot worse than the Lehman Brothers’ in the US due to the lack of consensus in the European Union to create an authority with enough power to handle this problem.

• Thursday, September 8th 2011 - 01:22 UTC

  Gibraltar and La Linea committed to share ‘a common socio-economic future’

  

  Gibraltar and La Linea are meant to “share a common socio-economic future” Chief Minister Peter Caruana declared Tuesday in the neighbouring Spanish town hall after his first official meeting with the new Socialist (PSOE) mayor Gemma Araujo.