International

• 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.

• Sunday, September 12th 2010 - 06:45 UTC

  China trade surplus down; US congress set to discuss value of the Yuan

  

  China's trade surplus narrowed in August as imports picked up at a faster pace and exports slowed although not drastically, official figures showed on Friday. The data is likely to keep up pressure on Beijing to ease currency controls.

• Sunday, September 12th 2010 - 06:41 UTC

  Public debate erupts in UK over the building of two (one?) air carriers

  

  British Ministry of Defence revealed that contracts worth about £1.25bn have been awarded for building two aircraft carriers even though the project may not go ahead, figures have revealed. The figures came in answer to a parliamentary question by a Labour MP.

• Saturday, September 11th 2010 - 18:22 UTC

  Developed nations slowdown “more pronounced than anticipated” says OECD

  

  The global economic recovery is slowing faster than forecast, but a return to recession is unlikely, a leading global economic group has said. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said the slowdown had been more “pronounced than anticipated”.

• Friday, September 10th 2010 - 04:29 UTC

  World Bank calls on governments to protect local land rights from large-scale acquisitions

  

  As rising food and fuel prices create incentives for large-scale land acquisitions around the world, it is more important than ever for governments and the international community to protect local land rights, according to a new World Bank study released this week.

• Friday, September 10th 2010 - 03:49 UTC

  Spanish congress approved labour market reforms; protest strike Sept. 29th

  

  Spain's lawmakers gave their final approval to a package of government-proposed labour market reforms aimed at cutting down the country's high unemployment rate and reviving the economy.

• Friday, September 10th 2010 - 03:45 UTC

  Bank of England leaves interest rates on hold at 0.5% for 18th month running

  

  The Bank of England has kept UK interest rates on hold at a record low of 0.5% for the 18th consecutive month. The Monetary Policy Committee's (MPC) decision had been expected, but calls have been growing for an increase in rates to curb inflation.

• Friday, September 10th 2010 - 03:31 UTC

  A rare copy of “Birds of America” to be auctioned could raise 15 million USD

  

  Ten years ago, a copy of painter and naturalist John James Audubon’s Birds of America was sold by Christie’s for £5.7m (8.8 million USD). On 7 December this year, another copy of the book will be auctioned by Sotheby’s, along with other rare and valuable books, letters and manuscripts.

• Friday, September 10th 2010 - 03:28 UTC

  Invasive “killer shrimp” discovered at water reservoirs in England

  

  A killer shrimp has been found for the first time in the UK at an Anglian Water reservoir in Cambridgeshire, England. Two anglers spotted the shrimp, which can be as small as three mm, at Grafham Water near St Neots on Friday September 3 and sent samples to the Environment Agency for identification.