International

• Saturday, July 7th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Shell plans to launch new exploration campaign in the Artic

  Royal Dutch Shell is to launch a new exploration campaign in the Arctic north of Alaska in a bid to tap the region's vast oil and gas reserves.

• Saturday, July 7th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Global pool offers World new 7 Wonders

  

  About 100 million votes were cast by the Internet and cellphone text messages, said New7Wonders, the nonprofit organization that conducted the poll.

• Thursday, July 5th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Fearing “pricing pressure” Bank of England raised rates to 5.75%

  The Bank of England has raised interest rates from 5.5% to 5.75%, its fifth rate rise since last August and warned that inflation remains a danger, saying “most indicators of pricing pressure remain elevated”.

• Wednesday, July 4th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Doha round global trade talks heading for “deep freeze”

  World Trade Organisation (WTO) chief Pascal Lamy said this week the Doha Round global trade talks risks heading into a “deep freeze” but could be saved if key countries made small concessions.

• Wednesday, July 4th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  OECD-FAO: prices for farm products forecasted to keep growing

  Increased demand for bio-fuels is causing fundamental changes to agricultural markets that could drive up world prices for many farm products, according to a new report published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD, and the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation.

• Sunday, July 1st 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  France and Spain remain world's top tourist destination

  

  France and Spain remained the top destinations for visitors in 2006, the United Nations World Tourism Organization said in a new report.

• Sunday, July 1st 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  England joins rest of UK in becoming a smokefree zone

  

  A ban on smoking in public places has come into effect in England, spelling an end to drinkers having a cigarette with their pint in pubs, bars and clubs.

• Friday, June 29th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Beijing tightens and Shanghai composite drops 7% in June

  China's main stock exchange index dropped 2% Friday, making June the worst month since May 2005. Fears that the government might announce measure to soak liquidity are behind the collapse.

• Thursday, June 28th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Rato to step down as IMF chief

  

  International Monetary Fund managing director Rodrigo de Rato will step down in October, he said Thursday, some six weeks after upheaval at the helm of the sister institution, the World Bank.

• Thursday, June 28th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Brown unveils huge Cabinet revamp

  

  Prime Minister Gordon Brown's new Cabinet has met for the first time in 10 Downing Street.