International

• Sunday, December 7th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  British author named Artist for Peace by Unesco

  

  The prize-winning British children's author and illustrator Lauren Child has been selected as the latest Artist for Peace by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the agency announced.

• Thursday, December 4th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  British Airways exploring potential merger with Qantas

  

  British Airways announced it is exploring a potential merger with the Australian flag-carrier Qantas Airways. However BA warned there was “no guarantee that any transaction will be forthcoming”.

• Thursday, December 4th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Commons office raid: Home Secretary stands by the police

  

  United Kingdom's Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has defended the decision to call in the police to investigate leaks from the Home Office. In a Commons statement, Mrs Smith again insisted she had no prior knowledge that Tory frontbencher Damian Green was about to be arrested in connection with the inquiry.

• Thursday, December 4th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  ECB lowers rate to 2.5%, but cautions about further cuts

  

  European Central Bank President Jean Claude Trichet said on Thursday cutting interest rates too low or too fast could leave policy makers with few options to respond to a deepening recession.

• Thursday, December 4th 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  President Sarkozy unveils 30 billion USD stimulus plan

  

  French President Nicolas Sarkozy unveiled Thursday a stimulus plan worth more than 30 billion USD to fight the economic and financial downturn. The French plan is the latest of a series of proposals by various European governments to earmark massive amounts of money to help reinvigorate their moribund economies.

• Wednesday, December 3rd 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  UN calls to prepare for disasters caused by climate change

  

  The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today launched a campaign to raise awareness of the humanitarian implications of climate change, calling for improved disaster preparedness and response measures in countries that suffer most from extreme weather events.

• Wednesday, December 3rd 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  UK launches OT offshore financial centres review

  

  The British Government announced that Michael Foot, currently Chairman of the UK office of Promontory Financial Group, will lead the independent review of British offshore financial centres, mostly in Overseas Territories, anticipated at Pre-Budget Report 2008.

• Wednesday, December 3rd 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  Police had no warrant to search Tory MP office in Parliament

  

  Britain's House of Commons Speaker Michael Martin said he “regrets” that police were allowed to search Conservative MP Damian Green's office without a warrant.
  
  A parliamentary aide had allowed a raid - part of a government leaks inquiry - by signing a consent form, he added.

• Wednesday, December 3rd 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  German auto industry heading for worst year since 1990

  

  The German auto industry's leading trade group said Wednesday it expects 2009 car sales to be the worst since the reunification of the country in 1990 as the global financial crisis takes its toll on consumers and economic growth.

• Wednesday, December 3rd 2008 - 20:00 UTC

  More than 100 countries sign treaty banning cluster bombs

  

  Representatives of more than 100 countries gathered in Oslo, Norway Wednesday to sign a treaty banning cluster bombs. Norway, which has led efforts to ban cluster bombs, was the first to sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the use, production, and sale of the weapons.