International

• Saturday, October 23rd 2010 - 03:45 UTC

  G20 rejects as “planned economy” US proposal setting targets to trade imbalances

  

  US proposals that countries set targets to reduce trade imbalances appeared to be running into opposition at the G20 meeting of leading economies. US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner wrote to G20 members on Friday suggesting limiting surpluses and deficits to a percentage of output.

• Saturday, October 23rd 2010 - 03:34 UTC

  Land purchases by foreign investors, an “explosive cocktail” for small farmers

  

  Land purchases by foreign investors in poor countries and the growing use of bio-fuels are boosting pressures on agricultural farmland and helping make 500 million small farmers hungry, a U.N. envoy said this week.

• Friday, October 22nd 2010 - 02:15 UTC

  Strong support from the European Parliament to trade talks with Mercosur

  

  Members of the European Parliament expressed strong support for expanding trade with Mercosur but subject to clear “red lines” to ensure food security and prevent further environmental damage, said a resolution adopted on Thursday.

• Thursday, October 21st 2010 - 11:14 UTC

  Qatar sovereign wealth fund buys 5% of Banco Santander Brazil

  

  Banco Santander SA, Spain’s biggest bank, said this week that it will sell 5% of its Brazilian unit to Qatar Holding LLC for 1.95 billion Euros (Approx. 2.7 billion US dollars).

• Thursday, October 21st 2010 - 10:57 UTC

  In one of his last acts, Moratinos announces ease of tension with Gibraltar

  

  In what could very well have been one of his last comments as Foreign Affairs minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos said Spain would be removing the scientific buoys that it laid in Gibraltar waters as from Wednesday October 20.

• Thursday, October 21st 2010 - 07:26 UTC

  Piñera seals in Paris wide-ranging “strategic alliance” with France

  

  Chilean president Sebastian Piñera announced Wednesday in Paris a wide-ranging “strategic alliance” with France following a meeting with President Nicholas Sarkozy. Piñera arrived Tuesday from London and later in the week is scheduled to travel to Germany.

• Thursday, October 21st 2010 - 07:19 UTC

  With frozen income BBC has to fund World Service and Welsh language TV

  

  The TV licence fee, which funds Britain’s BBC, is to be frozen for six years at £145.50, the Chancellor has confirmed. The BBC will also take over the cost of the Foreign Office-funded World Service, BBC Monitoring and some of the costs of Welsh language TV channel S4C.

• Thursday, October 21st 2010 - 07:11 UTC

  UK unveils biggest spending cuts in decades; half a million public jobs to go

  

  Chancellor George Osborne has unveiled the biggest UK spending cuts for decades, with welfare, councils and police budgets all hit. The pension age will rise sooner than expected, some incapacity benefits will be time limited and other money clawed back through changes to tax credits and housing benefit.

• Wednesday, October 20th 2010 - 22:47 UTC

  Pope Benedict puts his (conservative) stamp by naming 20 ‘cardinal electors’

  

  Pope Benedict put his stamp on the future of the Roman Catholic Church by naming 24 new cardinals, including 20 who are under 80 and thus eligible to enter a secret conclave to elect his successor.

• Wednesday, October 20th 2010 - 22:39 UTC

  Spain reshuffles cabinet: Perez Rubalcaba new strong man; Moratinos out

  

  Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero named a new deputy premier and foreign minister Wednesday as part of a major cabinet reshuffle at a time when his ruling Socialists have been trailing conservatives fifteen points in polls.