International

• Wednesday, August 11th 2010 - 06:25 UTC

  China’s import growth slowed down in July, while exports kept rising

  

  China's import growth slowed in July, which economists are seeing as a sign that the country's rapid economic expansion is cooling. Imports climbed by 22.7% compared with a year ago to 116.8 billon US dollars, which is well below the 53% expansion seen in June.

• Wednesday, August 11th 2010 - 06:21 UTC

  Japan leaves benchmark rate on hold; fears Chinese slowdown

  

  Japan's central bank has kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged as it tries to nurture the country's slow recovery from recession while also attempting to tackle deflation. Rates have been held at 0.1% since the end of 2008.

• Tuesday, August 10th 2010 - 03:19 UTC

  “Human race must look to outer space or it will become extinct”

  

  The human race must look to outer space within the next century or it will become extinct, Professor Stephen Hawking has warned, according to an article published by the Daily Telegraph credited to Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent.

• Tuesday, August 10th 2010 - 01:15 UTC

  Spanish mayor firm on charging fee to tourists visiting Gibraltar

  

  Alejandro Sánchez, the mayor of La Lineá, the Spanish town which adjoins Gibraltar, held a press conference Monday evening. He was accompanied by his council members and briefed the media on his controversial plans to charge an entrance fee to tourists visiting The Rock.

• Tuesday, August 10th 2010 - 01:00 UTC

  Giant 260 sq km iceberg breaks off in northern Greenland

  

  A 260 square kilometre iceberg has broken free from the Petermann Glacier, one of the two largest remaining glaciers in Greenland.

• Tuesday, August 10th 2010 - 00:54 UTC

  World Bank pouring 11 billion to build 211 dams with impact on tribal people

  

  To mark the UN Day of Indigenous People, Survival International has released a new report highlighting the devastating impact on tribal people of a massive boom in dam-building for hydropower.

• Tuesday, August 10th 2010 - 00:51 UTC

  UN urges greater protection of the world’s indigenous communities

  

  Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the world to step up efforts to improve living conditions of the planet’s indigenous communities and to protect them, saying they continued to suffer discrimination and poverty despite a United Nations declaration that aims to promote their rights.

• Monday, August 9th 2010 - 07:26 UTC

  Gibraltar: Between a Rock and a hard place

  

  La Linea de la Conception is a small Spanish town on the North side of the border with Gibraltar. The fascist dictator Francisco Franco sealed the frontier in 1969 to punish Gibraltar for rejecting his offer of becoming part of Spain.

• Friday, August 6th 2010 - 22:13 UTC

  UK minister Browne at inauguration of Colombian president-elect Santos

  

  UK Minister Jeremy Browne is visiting Colombia and Chile to boost British business. Minister Jeremy Browne arrived in Bogotá Friday on the first leg of a visit to South America. He will spend three days in Colombia before travelling to Chile.

• Friday, August 6th 2010 - 06:03 UTC

  Euro zone benchmark rate unchanged, but ECB needs to absorb extra liquidity

  

  European Central Bank President Jean Claude Trichet said Europe is recovering faster than forecast and money markets are improving, paving the way for the ECB to phase out liquidity tools used to fight the financial crisis.