
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Monday something isn't right with the European Union, as France took over the rotating presidency of the bloc. Speaking on national French TV, Mr Sarkozy warned that Europe's citizens were losing faith in the project.

The European Union will allow imports of fresh meat from more areas of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay after EU food experts said the bloc's health regulations had been met

The chief executives of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, BP Plc and Spain's Repsol YPF told the oil industry's biggest gathering in three years, in Spain that restrictions on where they can invest and high taxes meant they could not help boost supplies as much as they might.

The annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has ended with member governments agreeing to try and resolve their differences.

The cost of maintaining the Queen rose by £2 million to £40 million last year. The 5.3% rise - twice the rate of inflation - was blamed by palace officials on increased maintenance costs on royal residences and higher travel costs, up £400,000 to £6.4 million.
Last month's earthquake in Sichuan, China, has caused some 6 billion US dollars in damage to the province's agricultural sector, severely affecting over 30 million people in rural communities, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Monday.

Global stock markets have suffered a sell-off sparked by concerns about the global economy and crude oil prices which have hit a new record. New York's Dow Jones closed down 0.93%, or 106.9 points, at 11,346.51 as the cost of oil rose to a fresh high above $142 a barrel.
Oil futures shot above 140 US dollars a barrel on Thursday after OPEC's president said crude prices could rise well above 150 US dollars a barrel this year and Libya said it may cut oil production.

The International Whaling Commission voted down Thursday a request by indigenous Greenland fishermen to kill 10 humpback whales a year. IWC is holding its annual assembly for the first time in Santiago de Chile.
The world's major industrialized nations must take the lead in efforts to tackle the three interrelated crises of global food insecurity, climate change and development in poor countries, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on the eve of an official trip that will include his participation in next month's G-8 summit in Japan.