International

• Tuesday, April 12th 2011 - 03:51 UTC

  German Literature Nobel Prize Guntther Grass warns of an “eco-dictatorship”

  

  German Nobel Prize winner Gunther Grass fears that the nuclear disaster in Japan and other environmental issues could lead to an “eco-dictatorship”, according to an interview published in the “Haumburger Abenbdblatt”.

• Monday, April 11th 2011 - 23:50 UTC

  FT forecasts Spain will be next in seeking financial assistance

  

  The mix of high external indebtedness, the fragility of the financial sector and the probability of further declines in asset prices increase the probability of a funding squeeze at some point means that “Spain will be the next country to seek financial assistance from the EU and the International Monetary Fund”, argues one of the Financial Times respected columnists.

• Monday, April 11th 2011 - 22:32 UTC

  Barcelona in unofficial referendum votes for independence from Spain

  

  The citizens of the Spanish city of Barcelona voted on Sunday by more than 90% in favor of independence for the province of Catalonia from the central government in Madrid.

• Monday, April 11th 2011 - 21:09 UTC

  Brazil aware its relation with China raises the risk of “Dutch Disease”

  

  President Rousseff arrived in Beijing Monday to begin a state visit to China that will incorporate Thursday’s summit of BRIC leaders. However Ms Rousseff’s trip to China is symbolically important since it is her first overseas visit outside Latin America and underlines the growing importance of the Brazil/China relationship, points out Capital Economics.

• Monday, April 11th 2011 - 21:04 UTC

  IMF optimistic report but warnings about overheating in emerging economies

  

  The global economic recovery is gaining strength, with world growth projected at about 4½ percent in both 2011 and 2012, but unemployment remains high, and risks of overheating are building in emerging market economies, the IMF said in its latest forecast.

• Monday, April 11th 2011 - 20:04 UTC

  U2 current worldwide tour nets 558m; beats Rolling Stones record

  

  U2's current worldwide 360° tour has become the highest grossing in history, beating the record previously set by The Rolling Stones between the years 2005-2007, reported Live Nation Entertainment.

• Monday, April 11th 2011 - 19:49 UTC

  China plans to invest 10 billion USD in soy production and processing in Brazil

  

  China plans to invest ten billion US dollars in the production, storage and transport of soybeans in Brazil to ensure the supply of the commodity of which it is the world’s main importer, according to press reports in Beijing.

• Monday, April 11th 2011 - 05:24 UTC

  Protestors force Petrobras to suspend off shore seismic surveying in New Zealand

  

  Brazilian oil giant Petrobras suspended an offshore survey Sunday in New Zealand after several environmental activists jumped into the water to block the passage of the ship conducting the study, reports the NZ press.

• Saturday, April 9th 2011 - 07:56 UTC

  Oil prices surge to a 2.5 year high on concerns about supply and the dollar

  

  Oil prices have surged to a two-and-a-half-year high on concerns about supply and a weaker dollar. Brent crude topped $126, while US crude was at $112.79.

• Saturday, April 9th 2011 - 07:53 UTC

  Syrian government kills 23 peaceful protestors on Muslim day of prayer

  

  Protests erupted across much of the Arab world on the Muslim day of prayer, with demonstrators killed in Syria and Yemen while Egyptians staged one of the biggest rallies since President Hosni Mubarak's fall.