International

• Monday, May 2nd 2011 - 00:21 UTC

  China’s manufacturing slows down in April, according to official data

  

  China's manufacturing growth slowed in April, according to official figures. The country's purchasing managers' index (PMI), which is designed to provide a snapshot of conditions in the manufacturing sector, fell to 52.9 in April, from 53.4 in March.

• Monday, May 2nd 2011 - 00:16 UTC

  Tanks, bombings and snipers can’t stop Syrian protests from intensifying

  

  Anti-government protesters in Syria are planning further demonstrations during the week, in spite of the violent crackdown including tanks, bombings and snipers unleashed on them.

• Monday, May 2nd 2011 - 00:14 UTC

  UN withdraws staff from Libya; NATO air strike kills son of Gaddafi

  

  UN is withdrawing all international staff from the Libyan capital Tripoli following a mob attack on its offices. UN buildings and some foreign missions were targeted by angry crowds following a NATO air strike that reportedly killed a son of Col Gaddafi.

• Saturday, April 30th 2011 - 09:48 UTC

  To help contain inflation, China allows appreciation of the Yuan

  

  China's currency, the Yuan, strengthened past a key level against the US dollar on Friday, as part of wider efforts to contain inflation on the mainland. The Yuan broke past 6.50 against the dollar, a level not seen since 1993.

• Saturday, April 30th 2011 - 09:44 UTC

  Argentina and Chile pay homage to John Paul II for his 1984 peace treaty

  

  Argentina’ Foreign Affairs minister Hector Timerman and his Chilean peer Alfredo Moreno will lead next Monday in the Vatican homage to John Paul II for his 1978 successful mediation in preventing a full fledged armed conflict between the two neighbouring countries.

• Friday, April 29th 2011 - 21:40 UTC

  Spain hits new unemployment record; crackdown on the black economy

  

  Weak jobs data, sliding retail sales and rising inflation confirm Spain’s economic recovery is faltering. The official figures released Friday showed 21.3% of the workforce without a job, up from 20.3% at the end of last year.

• Friday, April 29th 2011 - 06:01 UTC

  An estimated two billion will watch ‘the most popular event ever broadcast’

  

  Hundreds of millions of people around the world are expected to watch the royal wedding of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton on television. More than 8,000 journalists have descended on London to jockey for positions outside London's Westminster Abbey for Friday's ceremony.

• Friday, April 29th 2011 - 05:21 UTC

  Oil soars to its highest in 31 months and US dollar plunges to three year low

  

  United States crude oil futures rose Thursday to hit a 31-month high settlement after a volatile trading session while the US dollar fell to a three-year low against major currencies following on the Federal Reserve's intention to keep interest rates near zero.

• Friday, April 29th 2011 - 05:10 UTC

  French Navy state of the art space tracking floating lab calls in Montevideo

  

  A French navy vessel equipped with state of the art systems for tracking missile launchings and other space objects called in Montevideo as part of its tour of the South Atlantic.

• Thursday, April 28th 2011 - 06:35 UTC

  WTO members to openly discuss an alternative to the failing Doha round

  

  The World Trade Organization's 153 member nations will openly discuss for the first time an alternative to the failing Doha round of global trade talks, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.