International

• Friday, May 13th 2011 - 04:55 UTC

  Arctic Council reach first binding agreement for search and rescue responsibilities

  

  The eight nation Arctic Council agreed steps on Thursday to make the region safer and promised to study ways to prevent oil spills as fast-melting ice and snow open access to rich mineral and petroleum resources.

• Thursday, May 12th 2011 - 20:05 UTC

  Italy’s Draghi receives support from Angela Merkel as next ECB president

  

  German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed support for Italy’s Mario Draghi as the next president of the European Central Bank, removing the final obstacle to his appointment to Europe’s top monetary post.

• Thursday, May 12th 2011 - 19:12 UTC

  Japan’s current account surplus falls 34.3% in March, because of tsunami

  

  Japan's current account surplus fell by 34.3% in March compared with the same month a year ago, after a massive quake and tsunami devastated exports, according to the latest release from the Ministry of Finance.

• Thursday, May 12th 2011 - 19:07 UTC

  Baltic Sea patched with ‘dead zones’ reveals research expedition

  

  A research expedition in the Baltic Sea has yielded spectacular photos of surprisingly colourful life below the calm surface. But the images also reveal a more sinister reality -- the alarming spread of “dead zones” threatening aquatic life.

• Thursday, May 12th 2011 - 16:46 UTC

  EU votes for mandatory labeling or real fur or leather content in textiles

  

  Consumers will no longer risk inadvertently buying textiles that contain real fur or leather, thanks to new textile labeling rules approved by the European Parliament.

• Thursday, May 12th 2011 - 16:41 UTC

  Mercosur largest economies ‘inconveniences’ delaying trade accord with EU

  

  The existence of ‘inconveniences’ with Mercosur largest economies is delaying reaching a trade agreement with the European Union, according to Germany’s Ambassador before the government of Paraguay, Claude Robert Ellner.

• Thursday, May 12th 2011 - 06:24 UTC

  EC plans awarding vessels fishing quotas for 15 years; critics say it ‘privatizes oceans’

  

  The European Commission is planning to reform the EU fishing industry by giving vessels quota shares guaranteed for periods of at least 15 years. The commission will issue a proposal on reforming the Common Fisheries Policy, CFP, in July, to take effect in 2013.

• Thursday, May 12th 2011 - 06:19 UTC

  One third of world food production for humans gets lost or wasted, says FAO

  

  Roughly one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year — approximately 1.3 billion tons — gets lost or wasted, according to an FAO-commissioned study.

• Thursday, May 12th 2011 - 06:09 UTC

  World Cups 2018/2022 corruption claims widens; FIFA asks for evidence

  

  FIFA has requested evidence from England's Football Association following claims from its former chairman of corruption by four top-level members of world soccer's governing body.

• Thursday, May 12th 2011 - 05:59 UTC

  China’s inflation eases in April but food costs are scaring the Communist party

  

  China's surging inflation eased slightly in April as Beijing tightened controls to cool its overheated economy. Consumer prices climbed 5.3% over a year earlier, driven by an 11.5% jump in food costs, data showed Wednesday.