International

• Tuesday, March 25th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  South Korea bans mozzarella imports from Italy

  

  South Korea has banned the import of Italy's best mozzarella after reports some cheese was made with milk contaminated with cancer-causing dioxin, an official announced Monday in Seoul.

• Tuesday, March 25th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Incredible scientific finds in Ross Sea cruise survey

  

  Scientists who conducted the most comprehensive survey to date of Antarctic waters close to New Zealand were surprised by the size of some specimens found, including jellyfish with 12-foot tentacles and 2-foot-wide starfish, and fields of ”sea lilies

• Sunday, March 23rd 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Pope celebrates Easter Day Mass

  Thousands of pilgrims have packed into St Peter's Square in Rome to hear Pope Benedict XVI celebrate Easter Mass.

• Saturday, March 22nd 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  March 22: World Water Day

  The international observance of World Water Day is an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro.

• Friday, March 21st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Claims of illegal trade of polar bear hides in Russia

  

  Illegal trade in hides of polar bears, a species in steady decline throughout the Arctic is on the rise in Russia, the World Wildlife Fund said on Thursday.

• Friday, March 21st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Five years on Iraq faces “terrorism and corruption” disease

  

  Iraqi President Jalal Talabani singled out violence and corruption as the main problems facing his country on the fifth anniversary of the invasion. Talabani welcomed the end of Saddam Hussein's era of “torture and tyranny”, but warned that violence, terrorism and corruption had now become a “disease”.

• Thursday, March 20th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Spain faces excess housing: 3 million flats empty

  A new United Nations report has criticized the housing policy in Spain, and highlighted the fact that local councils have been dependent on granting of building licences and other real estate deals for their income.

• Thursday, March 20th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Rock band to break world record by playing in Antarctica

  

  Emo rock band Fall Out Boy are set to break a world record next week by playing a concert in Antarctica. The US band will travel to Punta Arenas in the extreme south of Chile and then on March 25th to President Frei base in King George Island.

• Thursday, March 20th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  “Severe production deficit” forecasted for soybean

  

  Global 2007-08 soybean harvests will total 221.33 million tons, below forecast consumption of 239.49 million tons, Hamburg-based oilseeds analysts Oil World estimates. This compares to 2006/07 output of 237.79 million tons and consumption of 225.34 million tons.

• Thursday, March 20th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Fearing inflation Beijing raises banks' reserve ratio

  

  China's Central Bank increased the amount of money commercial banks must keep in reserve just hours after Premier Wen Jiabao warned inflation was a top concern. The People's Bank of China said in a statement the bank reserve ratio would rise half a percentage point to 15.5% from March 25, in yet another bid to implement tight monetary policies and cool the economy.