International

• Monday, June 22nd 2009 - 12:24 UTC

  Net private capital inflow to developing countries falls to half in 2008

  

  Amidst global economic recession and financial-market fragility, net private capital inflows to developing countries fell to 707 billion US dollars in 2008, a sharp drop from a peak of 1.2 trillion in 2007. International capital flows are projected to fall further in 2009, to 363 billion US dollars, according to the latest report from the World Bank.

• Monday, June 22nd 2009 - 12:20 UTC

  Agriculture showing more resilience to economic crisis

  

  Because food is a basic necessity, the agriculture sector is showing more resilience to the global economic crisis than other industries. But the risks could increase if the economic downturn deepens, according to a new report by the OECD and FAO released this week.

• Monday, June 22nd 2009 - 12:14 UTC

  Enough stimulus packages, there’s a limit to debt, warns Trichet

  

  Europe's central bank chief on Sunday cautioned against any new government stimulus plans and predicted the global economy will pick up in 2010. But he also warned it would be a mistake to believe that recovery is a foregone conclusion.

• Monday, June 22nd 2009 - 12:11 UTC

  Chavez calls on the world to “respect” the Iran regime and Islamic revolution

  

  Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez openly supported the Iran regime and called for “respect” for the country and an end to attempts “to erode the strength of the Iranian revolution”.

• Monday, June 22nd 2009 - 11:57 UTC

  Flight 447: Brazil identifies 11 of 50 bodies recovered

  

  Officials in Brazil have identified the first 11 of 50 bodies recovered from the Air France Flight 447 disaster in which 228 people died three weeks ago. The bodies were those of 10 Brazilians and one male foreigner, officials said. They gave no further details

• Sunday, June 21st 2009 - 11:34 UTC

  A billion people hungry in 2009 because of the economic crisis, says FAO

  

  World hunger is projected to reach a historic high in 2009 with 1.020 million people going hungry every day, according to new estimates published by FAO this week.

• Sunday, June 21st 2009 - 11:28 UTC

  FAO forecasts second-highest record cereals crop for 2009/10

  

  With the second-highest recorded cereals crop expected this year and stocks replenished, the world food supply looks less vulnerable to shocks than it was during last year’s food crisis, FAO said in its Food Outlook report published this month. But some potential dangers remain, it also noted.

• Sunday, June 21st 2009 - 11:19 UTC

  Greenland moves to self-rule and closer to independence

  

  The Arctic island of Greenland is assuming self-rule, in the latest step towards independence from Denmark. The move follows a referendum on greater autonomy in November. It will see Greenland take a greater share of revenues from its natural resources.

• Sunday, June 21st 2009 - 11:14 UTC

  More than 50 British MPs claimed council taxes they did not pay

  

  British Members of Parliament are facing further embarrassment over their expenses as it emerged more than 50 had claimed for council tax they had not paid. Some have raked in thousands of pounds on “phantom” local authority bills, according to the Daily Telegraph.

• Saturday, June 20th 2009 - 16:52 UTC

  PM Gordon Brown: “I could walk away from this tomorrow”

  

  Gordon Brown has admitted that he has been “hurt” by the personal attacks on him during the failed attempt to oust him this month, and said that he might move to teaching after he leaves office.