International

• Monday, July 28th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Chinese leaders concern with slower growth and inflation

  

  The People's Bank of China, (central bank) in a summary of its second-quarter policy meeting, pledged to keep a “consistent” monetary stance, the same word used on Friday by the top leadership of the ruling Communist Party to describe the planned thrust of economic policy for the rest of 2008.

• Sunday, July 27th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Oxygen cylinder link to Qantas jet 747-400 mid air blast

  

  Australian investigators are exploring the possibility that an oxygen cylinder could have exploded mid-flight on the Qantas jumbo jet from London that was forced to plunge 20,000 feet and make an emergency landing in the Philippines.

• Sunday, July 27th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Main trade nations agree to save Doha negotiations

  

  The current ministerial summit in the framework of the WTO Doha Round of world trade talks has been extended until Wednesday in an effort to save the negotiations from collapse.

• Saturday, July 26th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Qantas Boeing 747 with a hole of an emergency landing

  

  A hole the size of a small car in the underside of a Qantas jumbo jet carrying 346 passengers forced the pilot to make an emergency landing Friday after a rapid descent over the South China Sea

• Saturday, July 26th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Southern Chile's Chaiten Volcano still erupting

  

  Southern Chile's Chaiten Volcano, which erupted in early May for the first time in recorded history, is once again making its presence felt.

• Saturday, July 26th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Labor setback in Glasgow, political earthquake for Brown

  

  Critics have increased the pressure on British Prime Minister Gordon Brown after Labor's defeat in the Glasgow East by-election, but colleagues have leapt to his defense

• Friday, July 25th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Last minute efforts to break global trade deadlock

  

  The ministerial meeting in Geneva in the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO) long-running Doha round talks has failed to break the deadlock and several issues remain intractable, from farm subsidies to car import duties.

• Thursday, July 24th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Moscow and Tokyo most expensive cities third year running

  

  Moscow and Tokyo top the list of the world's most expensive locations for the third year running, according to the annual report from consultants Mercer which considers 143 cities all over the world. Asunción in Paraguay figures as the less expensive place to live.

• Thursday, July 24th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Spanish King and Chavez to close “shut up” incident

  

  Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez currently on a European tour is scheduled to meet Friday with Spain's King Juan Carlos in Palma de Mallorca, where the royal family is enjoying their summer holidays. The news was confirmed in Madrid by the royal palace and the presidential office.

• Thursday, July 24th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Arctic holds massive oil and gas reserves say US scientists

  

  The Arctic could hold as much as 90 billion barrels of undiscovered oil and has as much undiscovered gas as all the reserves known to exist in Russia, US government scientists have said in the first governmental assessment of the region's resources.