International

• Saturday, May 29th 2010 - 01:35 UTC

  IMF raises global economic growth forecast to 4.25% in 2010

  

  The IMF sees global economic growth of 4.25% this year and next, “faster than previously expected,” the head of the multilateral lender said on Friday.

• Saturday, May 29th 2010 - 01:32 UTC

  Australia begins legal action in The Hague against Japan over whaling

  

  Australia has said it will begin legal action against Japan over whaling in the Antarctic. Canberra will argue that the annual whaling hunt in the Southern Ocean is in violation of an international ban on commercial whaling.

• Friday, May 28th 2010 - 04:53 UTC

  Brazil suggests Yuan and Real be included as IMF conversion currencies

  

  Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega suggested the International Monetary Fund (IMF) include China's Yuan and Brazil's Real as conversion currencies for Special Drawing Rights (SDR) of the institution.

• Friday, May 28th 2010 - 04:37 UTC

  Sociologists Touraine and Bauman awarded the 2010 Prince of Asturias awards

  

  French Sociologists Alain Touraine and Polish born Zygmunt Bauman received on Thursday the 2010 Prince of Asturias Awards for Communication and Humanities.

• Friday, May 28th 2010 - 04:36 UTC

  World markets and Euro boosted by China’s supportive comments

  

  World stock markets soared strongly on Thursday, boosted by supportive comments from China on the strength of the Euro. The agency that manages the country's huge foreign assets said it was not rethinking its holdings in Euros.

• Friday, May 28th 2010 - 04:35 UTC

  Spain’s austerity package narrowly approved by one vote

  

  There has been temporary relief for Spain’s governing Socialists as parliament narrowly approved the 15 billion Euro austerity package: the motion was passed by only one vote, 169 to 168.

• Friday, May 28th 2010 - 04:31 UTC

  Ancestors of modern squid identified by Canadian researchers

  

  The ancestors of modern squid may have existed half a billion years ago - a lot earlier than previously thought. In a new study, Canadian researchers identified a previously unclassifiable fossil that was long believed to belong perhaps to the shrimp family.

• Thursday, May 27th 2010 - 09:09 UTC

  Germany preparing for “orderly state insolvency” in support of the Euro

  

  Germany's push for an orderly insolvency process for indebted Euro zone states suggests Berlin is assuming the worst: that one of its peers -- most likely Greece -- will default on its debt repayments.

• Thursday, May 27th 2010 - 08:29 UTC

  Cuban consul in Norway accused of “biting” demonstrator’s hand

  

  An allegedly peaceful rally for a democratic Cuba outside the Cuban Embassy in Norway’s capital Oslo turned bloody at the weekend, and could turn into a diplomatic incident.

• Thursday, May 27th 2010 - 08:16 UTC

  China’s concern over its Euro holdings tumbles the currency

  

  United States markets have put an end to what had been a day of stock market revivals around the world. After a day that had been mostly positive, New York's benchmark Dow Jones closed down 0.69% at 9974.45 - a four month low.