International

• Monday, September 1st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  One billion people still lack drinking water, says UN

  

  More than one billion people still lack access to safe drinking water, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said on Monday, calling for greater efforts to achieve the water and sanitation targets set by world leaders in 2000.

• Sunday, August 31st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Darling backtracks on claim that economic crisis is worst for 60 years

  Alistair Darling took to the airwaves to “clarify” his comments in a newspaper interview, saying that he was referring to global economic conditions rather than those in Britain.

• Saturday, August 30th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Japan unveils ambitious stimulus plan and tax breaks

  

  The Japanese government unveiled on Friday a policy package worth about 107 billion US dollars in an effort to stimulate the country's faltering economy by easing the negative impact from rising energy and raw material costs.

• Saturday, August 30th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Food prices set to keep rising forecasts head of FAO

  

  Current falls in commodity and food prices could be temporary and have not reduced concerns over their impact on developing nations, the head of the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on Friday.

• Saturday, August 30th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Euro zone inflation eases but economic confidence is down

  

  Separate figures have shown as easing of inflation in the Euro zone, but a fall in economic confidence. An initial estimate from EU statistics agency Eurostat showed that the annual rate of inflation eased in August to 3.8% from a record 4% in July as oil prices cooled.

• Friday, August 29th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Land Rover imposes four day week to cut production

  

  Land Rover has announced plans to cut production at its Solihull plant in England, including the introduction of a four-day week on some lines. Discoveries and Land Rover Sport models will no longer be manufactured on Fridays

• Thursday, August 28th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Chilean to head IMF Western Hemisphere Department

  

  Chile's former Finance minister Nicolas Eyzaguirre was named to head the International Monetary Fund Western Hemisphere Department that oversees Latin America, the United States and Canada.

• Thursday, August 28th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  EU demographic implosion set to begin in 7 years

  

  Since its historic reunification almost two decades ago, Germany has been easily the European Union's most populous nation, with 20 million more inhabitants than its closest rival.

• Thursday, August 28th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Standard Chartered opens representation office in Santiago

  

  Britain's Standard Chartered Bank has been authorized to open a representation office in Chile, according to an official release from the country's banking regulator, Superintendencia de Bancos e Instituciones Financieras, SBIF

• Wednesday, August 27th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  UK presents before UN sea bed claim around Ascension Is

  

  Britain is to formally present its case to the United Nations in New York for extending its territorial rights around Ascension Island in the South Atlantic. States have rights over their resources, including oil or gas reserves, up to 200 nautical miles from the shoreline.