European industrial production dropped the most on record in December, pointing to a deepening economic slump in the fourth quarter. Output in the Euro region fell 12% from the year- earlier month after an 8.4% decline in November, the European Union's statistics office in Luxembourg said on Thursday
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is under pressure over his links with former HBOS chief Sir James Crosby, who quit earlier as deputy head of the Financial Services Authority.
Bad weather, violent conflict and volatile market prices could force a drop off in the global production of cereal crops this year, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) predicted Thursday after already warning that some one billion people worldwide are going hungry.
Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto has announced that China's state-owned Chinalco is to invest a further 19.5 billion US dollars in the business. The move - China's largest investment in a foreign company - could see Chinalco increase its stake in Rio to 18% from the current level of 9%.
Argentine diplomacy is working on plans for President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner to address the Falkland Islands sovereignty claim when she travels to London at the beginning of April, for the G-20 summit on the global financial crisis hosted by PM Gordon Brown.
Industry group Oil & Gas UK said the combination of low oil prices and the freezing of capital markets will have a marked effect on exploration and development activity in the UK over the next 12-18 months.
Chinese Vice-Premier Hui Liangvu, currently visiting Argentina signed accords to boost cooperation in agriculture, mining and bilateral trade though Argentina's Banco de la Nacion and the China Development Bank.
Even when Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's two day visit to Spain can be rated better than expected, the media had a completely different opinion of whom they labelled botox queen and the Pampas magpie.
Two of Spain's strongest corporations reaffirmed their decision to re-invest heavily in Argentina in spite of the difficult and complicated situation created by the re-nationalization of Argentina's air flag carrier with no compensation for its Spanish owners.
China's exports fell more than expected in January, down 17.5% from a year earlier, while imports plunged 43.1%, , as China's economy continued to be hit by the global economic slowdown.