International

• Saturday, September 26th 2009 - 02:27 UTC

  Iceland planning to export 1.500 tons of whale meat to Japan

  

  The company behind Iceland's fin whaling industry is planning a huge export of whale meat to Japan. This summer, Hvalur hf caught 125 fins - a huge expansion on previous years.

• Friday, September 25th 2009 - 14:00 UTC

  Pittsburgh summit recognizes historic shift of power to G20

  

  G20 is to take on an expanded role as part of a historic shift that recognises the rising influence of China, Brazil and India. The leaders of the world's top 20 wealthy and developing nations decided that the G20 will take over the role of pre-eminent council on global economic cooperation, a function that for more than three decades had been performed by a smaller club of leading industrial countries known as the G8.

• Friday, September 25th 2009 - 13:56 UTC

  Water molecules confirmed in the moon’s polar region surface

  

  US space agency NASA said India’s maiden lunar mission had confirmed the presence of water molecules in the polar region of moon’s surface. Indian Space Research Organisation’s. ISRO, chairman G Madhavan Nair called the finding “path breaking”.

• Friday, September 25th 2009 - 13:50 UTC

  Military operation unveiled “biggest UK Parliamentary scandal in two centuries”

  

  The United Kingdom Members of Parliament expenses scandal which generated angry reactions from British public opinion began because the mole that caused the leak was angry about inadequate equipment for the armed forces, the Daily Telegraph published on Thursday.

• Friday, September 25th 2009 - 13:46 UTC

  Iranian leader Ahmadinejad will be visiting Brazil next November

  

  Brazilian President Lula da Silva confirmed his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to visit Brasilia in November, while he plans to travel to Teheran in May, Brazilian media reported Thursday.

• Friday, September 25th 2009 - 10:42 UTC

  Russia, Europe’s fastest growing car market collapses

  

  Russia's largest carmaker, Avtovaz, is to cut up to 27,600 jobs as it tries to cope with the global slump in demand. The job cuts are more than a quarter of the 102,000-strong workforce at Avtovaz, which makes Lada cars.

• Friday, September 25th 2009 - 10:38 UTC

  UK unions ready to challenge Jaguar and Land Rover restructuring

  

  British unions have condemned plans by car giant Jaguar Land Rover to close one of its UK plants. The firm said it would decide next year whether to shut its factory at Castle Bromwich in the West Midlands, which makes Jaguars, or its site at Solihull, which makes Range Rovers.

• Friday, September 25th 2009 - 10:34 UTC

  British Chancellor tells bankers “the party is over”

  

  Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling has warned bankers that the party is over and they must realise the world has changed. He made the comments in a BBC interview before leaving for the G20 summit in Pittsburgh.

• Friday, September 25th 2009 - 09:55 UTC

  Pittsburgh G-20 summit kicks off with minor clashes in the streets

  

  Trouble has flared as world leaders gathered Thursday in the US city of Pittsburgh for the G20 summit. Reports said riot police used pepper gas and fired rubber bullets at protesters on a march near the venue.

• Friday, September 25th 2009 - 09:53 UTC

  PM Brown denies rebuffed requests for a one-to-one meeting with Obama

  

  British Prime Minister Gordon Brown denied Thursday reports of a rift with Barack Obama following reports that Washington repeatedly rebuffed requests for a one-to-one meeting with the US president.