
Ministers took dramatic action in an attempt to end the crisis at Northern Rock as Chancellor Alistair Darling announced the Government would guarantee all deposits with the bank.
China raised interest rates on Friday for the fifth time this year, in the latest of a series of tightening steps to cap inflation and prevent the world's fastest growing economy from overheating.

Dutch Eredivisie champions PSV Eindhoven eeked out a narrow 1-0 victory over improving Vitesse, to leapfrog the Arnhem side and go top of the table after 4 games.
Despite cod stocks in the United Kingdom waters being at risk, fishermen are being forced to throw thousands of tonnes back into the sea dead while Iceland, an important supplier for much of Western Europe, is cutting the amount of cod it catches because of concern over falling stocks.

A second outbreak of foot and mouth disease has been confirmed in Britain at a Stroude Farm, Egham, near the scene of the previous outbreak discovered on Wednesday in Surrey.

United Kingdom Chancellor Alistair Darling has joined growing calls –from the US Congress and EU leaders-- for a probe into the role that credit agencies have played in the current world financial turbulence.

An independent review panel has found that the World Bank has not considered fighting corruption seriously and has defended itself against efforts taken by anti-graft investigators.

The European Commission proposed this week to suspend for a year rules forcing grain farmers to leave a percentage of fallow land and thus helping to curb soaring prices of cereals such as wheat.

The area covered by sea ice in the Arctic has shrunk to its lowest level this week since satellite measurements began nearly 30 years ago, opening up the Northwest Passage – a long-sought short cut between Europe and Asia that has been historically impassable, the European Space Agency.

As representatives from almost 200 Governments prepare to gather next week in Montreal, Canada on the 20th anniversary of the United Nations-backed treaty to protect the world's ozone layer, a senior UN official today called for intensified action to eliminate the use of hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) which damage it.