International

• Thursday, January 7th 2010 - 17:32 UTC

  Spain optimistic about an EU/Mercosur trade agreement this year

  

  Spain’s Foreign Affairs minister Miguel Angel Moratinos is confident that the European Union will reach a trade understanding or road map with Mercosur during the first half of this year, since Spain holds the EU rotating presidency.

• Thursday, January 7th 2010 - 16:56 UTC

  Japanese whalers and environmentalist ram vessels in the high seas

  

  Anti-whaling activists have accused a Japanese vessel of ramming their high-tech speed boat during a confrontation in the Southern Ocean. Video of the incident appeared to show the Japanese ship severely damaging the Ady Gil, but all six crew were rescued.

• Wednesday, January 6th 2010 - 11:15 UTC

  Spanish unemployment at new records: 19.3% and 40% for the young

  

  Spanish unemployment rose to the highest in more than a decade in December, 19.3%, capping a year that saw the nation’s jobless rate soar to double the Euro- zone average. The number of people registering for unemployment benefits increased by 54,657, or 1.41 percentage points from November to 3.92 million.

• Wednesday, January 6th 2010 - 03:16 UTC

  Coldest winter in a century and snow close down Britain

  

  Britain was in the grip of snow chaos as Arctic conditions forced the closure of schools, roads and airports. Some train services were also cancelled as forecasters predicted one of the coldest winters in 100 years.

• Wednesday, January 6th 2010 - 01:36 UTC

  Blue-fin tuna sold at Tokyo New Year auction for 176.000 USD

  

  A huge bluefin tuna was sold for USD 176,000 in the first auction of the year at a Tokyo fish market on Tuesday, amid growing pressure on Japan to help save the threatened fish.

• Tuesday, January 5th 2010 - 13:09 UTC

  Global trade recovery from major contraction in 70 years forecasted slow

  

  Global trade is expected to pick up again this year at a significant rate but not sufficient to overcome losses of 2009. Last year trade plunged 12.25% the worst result in seventy years and a full recovery can only be anticipated for 2011 when China will be confirmed as the world’s leading exporter.

• Tuesday, January 5th 2010 - 12:56 UTC

  PM Brown admits he is the underdog in the forthcoming general election

  

  UK Gordon Brown has admitted he is the underdog in the forthcoming general election battle - but insisted he is ready to “fight” for Britain. The Prime Minister said voters faced a “big choice” between the Tories promise of “austerity” and Labour's plans to encourage “aspiration”.

• Tuesday, January 5th 2010 - 12:52 UTC

  Brazil’s main financial group has set eyes on UK’s rescued banks

  

  Brazil’s leading private banking institution Itaú-Unibanco denied London press reports it was interested in block-buying into UK banks that were saved from collapse in 2008 by the British government, as well as banks in other countries including United States, but admitted an interest in shares

• Tuesday, January 5th 2010 - 12:35 UTC

  China buys into Canada’s tar sands; Angola signs oilfield deals with Iraq

  

  Canada's Industry Minister, Tony Clement, has given PetroChina the go-ahead for a 1.7 billion US dollars acquisition of two oil sand projects.

• Tuesday, January 5th 2010 - 12:19 UTC

  Illegal immigrants working for British government sensitive offices

  

  Hundreds of illegal immigrants have been working for the British Government in some of the country's most sensitive offices. Some 349 illegal foreign staff have been given jobs with Whitehall departments, councils and NHS Trusts over the past four years.