International

• Thursday, June 4th 2009 - 16:07 UTC

  Calls for a “Global Jobs Pact” to combat employment recovery lag

  

  Warning of a possible six to eight year employment and social protection crisis due to the economic downturn, International Labour Organization (ILO) Director- General Juan Somavia called Wednesday on delegates to the 98th International Labour Conference to adopt a “Global Jobs Pact.”

• Thursday, June 4th 2009 - 16:03 UTC

  Growing pressure on PM Brown to step down; Labour in turmoil

  

  Britain’s Gordon Brown's authority as Prime Minister has been dealt a severe blow as Communities Secretary Hazel Blears quit the Cabinet on the eve of Thursday crucial European and local elections.

• Thursday, June 4th 2009 - 15:47 UTC

  Inflation in leading economies slows down in April

  

  Inflation in the world's leading economies slowed in April and in the previous 12 months as energy prices plunged. Consumer prices in the 30 states of the OECD rose by 0.6% in the 12 months to April, compared with 0.9% in the year to March.

• Thursday, June 4th 2009 - 15:30 UTC

  FAO suggests climate change talks should include fisheries

  

  Sixteen international organisations asked that the protection and optimisation of marine ecosystems, fisheries and aquaculture be included in the discussions leading up to the sequel to the Kyoto Protocol.

• Wednesday, June 3rd 2009 - 10:51 UTC

  Brazil confirms Air France jet crashed into the Atlantic

  

  Brazil's military has found wreckage from the Air France passenger jet that disappeared with 228 people on board, the country's defence minister says.

• Wednesday, June 3rd 2009 - 08:33 UTC

  House crisis contagion expands world wide: prices keep falling

  

  House prices dropped further around the world during the year to end March 2009, as personal consumption expenditure decreased, consumer confidence remained low, credit remained tight and the unemployment rate worsened, property researchers the Global Property Guide said.

• Wednesday, June 3rd 2009 - 06:08 UTC

  Black Thursday anticipated for Labour and several cabinet members

  

  British cabinet member Jacqui Smith is to stand down as home secretary in the cabinet reshuffle, sources close to her have told the BBC. Prime Minister Gordon Brown is set to shake up his cabinet after Thursday's European and English local elections.

• Tuesday, June 2nd 2009 - 13:18 UTC

  Hunt for Air France jet intensifies

  

  Rescuers are searching waters deep in the Atlantic for a French airliner which disappeared in a storm early on Monday. The search, involving ships and planes from many nations, was part-suspended overnight, but aircraft with monitoring equipment continued to scour the sea.

• Tuesday, June 2nd 2009 - 10:43 UTC

  Chrysler taken over by Fiat with US, Canada governments’ support

  

  United States car group Chrysler has secured court approval for a consortium led by Italy's Fiat to take over its assets. The move, which is backed by both the US and Canadian governments, should enable Chrysler to exit bankruptcy protection in the near future.

• Tuesday, June 2nd 2009 - 04:39 UTC

  China and U.S. seal economic and financial “partnership”

  

  In his first official visit to China since becoming Treasury Secretary, Mr Geithner told politicians and academics in Beijing that he still supports a strong US dollar, and insisted that the trillions of dollars of Chinese investments would not be unduly damaged by the economic crisis.