International

• Monday, June 1st 2009 - 08:52 UTC

  Indigenous peoples demand more involvement in environment affairs

  

  A United Nations conference on indigenous affairs wrapped up its two-week gathering making a host of recommendations, including the worldwide establishment of a mechanism requiring patent offices to publicize the origins of products derived from indigenous knowledge when exclusive rights to the design are requested.

• Sunday, May 31st 2009 - 16:26 UTC

  PM Gordon Brown to launch MP code of conduct

  

  Gordon Brown says there are “clear cases” of MPs who may have broken the law over expense claims but insisted that only “a few” MPs had abused the Westminster perks system.

• Sunday, May 31st 2009 - 15:33 UTC

  UK Vauxhall unions fearful of GM Europe/Magna Canada deal

  

  British union leaders say they fear for UK jobs after a deal was announced to save the European arm of General Motors. Germany has agreed a deal with Canadian car parts maker Magna International to take over most of GM Europe, which owns Vauxhall and Germany-based Opel.

• Sunday, May 31st 2009 - 15:27 UTC

  “Swine flu cruise” with 2.000 passengers cancels trip to Great Barrier Reef

  

  Eighty-three passengers disembarked in Australia Saturday from the “swine flu ship” Pacific Dawn after it was allowed to dock in Brisbane, officials said.

• Sunday, May 31st 2009 - 15:17 UTC

  WHO: Tobacco packages must use pictorial warnings

  

  For another year in a row the World Health Organization (WHO) declares May 31 for a world no-smoking day. It draws global attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and to its negative health effects. Every year the WHO joins all the people worldwide around a topic towards reducing tobacco consumption. This year’s subject is: health warning messages on the packaging of cigarettes and other tobacco products.

• Sunday, May 31st 2009 - 00:21 UTC

  Big Ben rings in its 150th anniversary on Sunday

  

  Defiantly low-tech yet accurate to the second, Big Ben is having its 150th birthday Sunday, its Victorian chimes carrying the sound of Britain into the 21st century.

• Saturday, May 30th 2009 - 16:15 UTC

  World: Climate change 'killing thousands'

  

  Climate change is killing about 315,000 people a year through hunger, sickness and weather disasters, according to a new report. The report, commissioned by the Geneva-based Global Humanitarian Forum (GHF) and released on Friday, said the the annual death toll is expected to rise to half a million by 2030.

• Saturday, May 30th 2009 - 15:35 UTC

  Barcelona-Gibraltar flights delayed by a month

  

  Aerolineas Ándalus will delay the launch of flights between British Overseas Territory Gibraltar and Barcelona, Spain by at least a month because of low demand. The company began selling tickets several weeks ago but few people were buying, reports the Gibraltar Chronicle.

• Saturday, May 30th 2009 - 15:29 UTC

  Euro zone with zero inflation and growing fears of deflation

  

  The Euro zone annual inflation rate in the 16-country region fell to 0% in May from April’s 0.6%, according to Euro-stat. Economists said inflation would turn negative in June, --deflation—further complicating the task of the European Central Bank as it attempts to combat the worst economic downturn for half a century.

• Friday, May 29th 2009 - 11:38 UTC

  Boreal summer and OPEC push oil to new six-month high

  

  Oil surged past 65 US dollars a barrel on Thursday to a fresh six-month high after OPEC decided to keep output unchanged and data showed a steep drop in US crude inventories.