International

• Tuesday, September 14th 2010 - 23:26 UTC

  Spanish toll on Gibraltar traffic reaches the European Commission

  

  The controversy over a Spanish town Mayor proposal for a toll on traffic to neighbouring Gibraltar has reached the European Union. Ashley Fox, Gibraltar’s Tory MEP, has asked the European Commission to state whether the proposal would breach EU rules on freedom of movement.

• Tuesday, September 14th 2010 - 03:55 UTC

  OPEC born in Baghdad in 1960 with five members, changed the energy world

  

  The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries turns 50 years old Tuesday having survived a tumultuous history of wars, embargoes and in-fighting. The world’s oldest and largest energy producer group is now enjoying prices close to the 75 USD a barrel level that its largest member Saudi Arabia considers “ideal.”

• Tuesday, September 14th 2010 - 03:50 UTC

  IMF warns no financial crisis is over with a “wasteland of unemployment”

  

  The global recession has created a “wasteland of unemployment” that is likely to leave scars on society for years to come, unless action is taken to address the jobs crisis, IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn warned.

• Tuesday, September 14th 2010 - 03:48 UTC

  Dictators’ illicit funds in Swiss banks will be returned to pillaged countries

  

  A new law on returning illicit dictator funds that are deposited in Swiss banks has been approved by the Swiss parliament.

• Tuesday, September 14th 2010 - 03:08 UTC

  Wide ranging trade deal brings Taiwan closer to China

  

  A historic trade deal between China and Taiwan took effect Sunday signalling improvement in relations between the two countries after they were split by a civil war over 60 years ago.

• Monday, September 13th 2010 - 19:08 UTC

  Riots and arrests on Chile’s coup anniversary, “but calmer than in previous years”

  

  As President Sebastián Piñera spoke of national unity and moving past quarrels from recent history on the anniversary of the 11 September 1973 military coup that ousted democratically elected President Salvador Allende, protests and demonstrations occurred throughout Chile.

• Monday, September 13th 2010 - 04:00 UTC

  Central bankers agree new rules to prevent a repeat of the financial crisis

  

  Central bank governors and senior regulators have agreed new rules designed to prevent a repeat of the recent financial crisis. At a meeting in the Swiss city of Basle, they agreed a deal requiring banks to hold more capital in reserve.

• Sunday, September 12th 2010 - 07:02 UTC

  World conference to address unemployment and creating decent jobs

  

  The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are hosting a joint conference on 13 September in Oslo, Norway to explore new ways of generating jobs as part of a sustainable recovery from the global economic crisis.

• Sunday, September 12th 2010 - 06:57 UTC

  Glow of eyes could help detect mad cow disease, says Iowa university report

  

  Cattle infected with mad cow disease give off a tell-tale glow in their eyes, according to new research published in the journal Analytical Chemistry. In future, the discovery could lead to a long-sought test to detect infection with the agent that causes mad cow disease, preventing it from spreading throughout the food supply for humans.

• Sunday, September 12th 2010 - 06:50 UTC

  USDA cuts forecast for global wheat 2010/11 harvest, 5.5% down from last year

  

  US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has cut its forecast for global wheat production in 2010-11, but by less than expected. USDA now predicts total output of 643 million tonnes for the current agricultural year, down from its August forecast of 645.7 million.