International

• Tuesday, March 22nd 2011 - 08:32 UTC

  Fukushima nuclear plant seems ‘stabilized’ but smoke emissions continue

  

  Efforts have resumed at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to restore electrical power and cool its overheated reactors, seriously damaged by the 11 March earthquake.

• Tuesday, March 22nd 2011 - 08:15 UTC

  World Bank forecasts Japanese economy will begin recovering at the end of 2011

  

  Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami will depress growth briefly before reconstruction kicks off and gives the beleaguered economy a boost, the World Bank said in a report.

• Monday, March 21st 2011 - 22:23 UTC

  Ireland: EU agriculture commissioner supports strong position against Mercosur

  

  Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney has pressed Ireland’s anxieties about ongoing trade talks with Mercosur with agriculture commissioner Dacian Ciolos who was most receptive to Ireland’s position, reports the Dublin media.

• Monday, March 21st 2011 - 21:41 UTC

  EU farm ministers support strong CAP with “proportional financial resources”

  

  European Union agriculture ministers at the weekend rejected capping subsidies to Europe's biggest farms but compromised on a fairer share-out of funds between farmers in Eastern and Western Europe.

• Monday, March 21st 2011 - 21:37 UTC

  Italy fears massive inflow of African refugees, asks for help from EU members

  

  Italy is urging other European countries to take a greater share of the immigrants pouring across from North Africa. The tiny island of Lampedusa is just south of Sicily and only 150 kilometers from the Tunisian coast and has borne the brunt of the flood of refugees.

• Monday, March 21st 2011 - 19:40 UTC

  IATA warns of setback in the air travel industry while Japan recovers

  

  The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has warned that fuel prices could increase and the global aviation industry will face a setback while Japan recovers from the earthquake.

• Monday, March 21st 2011 - 19:35 UTC

  Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental begins first successful flight test program

  

  The Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental successfully began its flight test program Monday taking off from Paine Field in Everett, Washington state, before more than several thousand employees, customers, suppliers and community leaders.

• Monday, March 21st 2011 - 19:11 UTC

  Fearing social unrest, Beijing bans “hedonistic, high-end” lifestyles advertising

  

  China's capital has banned outdoor advertising that promotes hedonistic or high-end lifestyles as the government seeks to ease public concerns about the country's widening wealth gap.

• Monday, March 21st 2011 - 07:11 UTC

  Obama says Brazil’s transition to democracy an example for the Arab world

  

  President Barack Obama, declaring support for Brazil’s rising global economic clout, said the country’s transition from dictatorship to democracy can serve as a model for pro-democracy movements around the world, including in North Africa and the Middle East.

• Monday, March 21st 2011 - 07:06 UTC

  Massive support in Egypt for constitutional amendments

  

  Egyptians have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a package of constitutional amendments, according to official results released on Sunday evening. Slightly more than 77% of voters endorsed the amendments, the country's supreme judicial committee has announced.