International

Thursday, November 13th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Germany in recession as economy contracts 0.5% in Q3

Germany has officially entered a recession after government figures showed that Europe's largest economy contracted by 0.5% in the third quarter. This is the second consecutive quarter that the economy has shrunk after a 0.4% contraction in the second quarter.
Wednesday, November 12th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
International tourism slowing, but still growing says UN

International tourism has started slowing rapidly since the middle of the year, reflecting consumer concern worldwide and rising inflation in many countries, the United Nations reports in its latest measure of the health of the global travel industry.
Wednesday, November 12th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Ban Ki-moon calls for greater action to rid world of land mines

More efforts are needed to eliminate landmines and other explosive devices, despite the great strides made in ridding the world of the deadly weapons, said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Wednesday, November 12th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
UN “resilience committee” to boost tourism industry

Tourism ministers from around the world have agreed to set up a new United Nations-backed committee to consider how to respond both to the downturn in international travel as a result of the global financial crisis and the impact of climate change.
Wednesday, November 12th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
UK “very likely” in recession; 11–year high unemployment

Unemployment in the United Kingdom hit an 11-year high as the Bank of England signalled that interest rates could plunge to record lows to lift the economy out of recession which is “very likely” already in recession.
Tuesday, November 11th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Santander bank announces 7.2 billion Euro rights issue

Spain's banking giant Santander - which owns UK's Abbey, Alliance & Leicester and Bradford & Bingley's savings business - has announced a 7.2 billion Euro rights issue to raise new capital and shore up its capital ratio.
Tuesday, November 11th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Mafia, Italy's largest and most profitable “corporation”

The largest business in Italy today is organized crime, Mafia, with an annual turnover of some 130 billion euros (about 165.71 billion US dollars) and a net profit of close to 70 billion euros, after investments and expenses, according to the Italian national retail services association Confesercenti on Tuesday.
Tuesday, November 11th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Oil below 60 US dollars; OPEC ponders further cuts

While the price of crude oil for future delivery declined below 60 US dollars a barrel, OPEC sources on Tuesday said that the cartel will again consider cutting production when it meets next month in Algiers.
Tuesday, November 11th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Cooling of China's imports concerns trade partners

China's trade surplus rose to 35.2 billion US dollars in October, hitting a record for a third month in a row, data shows. The surplus rose 20% from September's 29.36 billion high, according to data from the Customs Department in Beijing.
Monday, November 10th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
UN 20 peacekeeping missions and 110.000 personnel overwhelmed

The bitter reality of conflicts in many countries dwarfs the ability of United Nations peacekeeping efforts to halt warring factions and maintain security despite their best intentions, said General Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto.