International

• Monday, June 27th 2011 - 06:15 UTC

  Central banks must raise interest rates to control inflation, says BIS

  

  Central banks need to start raising interest rates to control inflation and may have to act faster than in the past according to the Bank of International Settlements.

• Monday, June 27th 2011 - 06:09 UTC

  US think-tank says hedge funds are behind “land grabs” in Africa

  

  Hedge funds are behind “land grabs” in Africa to boost their profits in the food and bio-fuel sectors, a US think-tank says. In a report, the Oakland Institute said hedge funds and other foreign firms had acquired large swathes of African land, often without proper contracts. It said the acquisitions had displaced millions of small farmers.

• Monday, June 27th 2011 - 05:44 UTC

  Germany warns Greece: ‘no austerity plans approved, no release of funds’

  

  German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble warned that a veto of the Greek government's austerity plans by parliament this week could mean Athens will not receive a bailout tranche it needs to remain solvent.

• Sunday, June 26th 2011 - 02:46 UTC

  China loans and oil prices boost Ecuador economy two years after default

  

  Ecuador’s bonds are rewarding investors with the best performance in Latin America as Chinese loans and higher oil prices boost confidence in the economy two years after the country defaulted on 3.2 billion US dollars in debt.

• Saturday, June 25th 2011 - 08:00 UTC

  Canada interested in closer links with Mercosur announces ‘exploratory talks’

  

  Canada and Mercosur agreed on Friday to hold exploratory talks to strengthen their relationship, Canadian Trade Minister Ed Fast said on Friday. Fast is currently in Asunción to promote bilateral trade and investments, and Paraguay currently holds the Mercosur chair.

• Saturday, June 25th 2011 - 07:44 UTC

  Torture remains prevalent in too many countries, UN warns

  

  Too many countries are still practising or tolerating “cruel, degrading and illegal” acts of torture, top United Nations officials said today as they pledged the UN's solidarity with the millions of torture victims worldwide.

• Saturday, June 25th 2011 - 07:35 UTC

  Europe tightens borders to block the influx of immigrants

  

  European Union leaders agreed Friday to tighten migration safeguards, including potentially reintroducing border controls between states, in a controversial response to an influx of migrants fleeing North Africa's upheaval.

• Friday, June 24th 2011 - 22:58 UTC

  China says it can control inflation and maintain robust growth

  

  Chinese premier Wen Jiabao has said that China can control inflation and maintain its robust growth. Writing in the Financial Times, Mr Wen said “price rises will be firmly under control this year”.

• Friday, June 24th 2011 - 22:23 UTC

  FIFA slams Brazil’s slow pace of preparation for the 2014 World Cup

  

  Brazil's slow pace of preparation for the 2014 World Cup has come under attack from FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke. Stadium development plus work on airports and the transport system are lagging well behind schedule.

• Friday, June 24th 2011 - 22:15 UTC

  Malaysia’ AirAsia sings 18.5bn USD contract for 200 A320neo

  

  Malaysia’s AirAsia signed an 18.5 billion US dollars landmark deal for 200 A320neo Airbus, with an option for another 100, making AirAsia the biggest airline customer for the European corporations for the single-aisle product line worldwide.