International

• Thursday, March 15th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  UK: Final Olympics budget revealed

  

  Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell is due to set out details of the final budget for the 2012 London Olympics amid fears that costs have been spiralling out of control.

• Wednesday, March 14th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Inflation up in China; fears of more credit tightening

  Consumer prices in China during February were up 2.7% from a year ago, against January's rate of 2.2%, the National Bureau of Statistics said Tuesday.

• Wednesday, March 14th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  OECD recommends leaving interest rates unchanged

  

  The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development does not anticipate a recession in the United States but called on the world's three main central banks, --US, European Union and Japan-- not to raise the cost of borrowing..

• Wednesday, March 14th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Shanghai Exchange favors greater fluctuation margins

  The Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) has proposed raising the maximum share price fluctuation for listed companies from 10 to 20% per day. The move is part of a package of proposals for changing trading mechanisms based on a study jointly conducted by SSE and Guotai Junan Securities Co. Ltd reports China's Xinhua agency.

• Tuesday, March 13th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  China promises “gradual reform” to counter record surplus

  

  China will pursue gradual reform in the foreign exchange market this year and will aim to keep the currency basically stable, the People's Bank of China said on Monday. The central bank also said that while it was willing to accelerate financial reforms it needed more time to reduce its trade surplus.

• Saturday, March 10th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  US prepared to cut farm subsidies but wants reciprocity

  United States is prepared to reduce agricultural subsidies but wants to ensure market access for goods and services, President George W. Bush said on Saturday in Uruguay, the second leg of his five countries tour of Latin America.

• Thursday, March 8th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  “Parallel push” to combat climate change and ozone depletion

  

  The head of the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, has applauded the findings of a new study that calls for a “parallel push” to fight climate change and also to decrease chemicals harming the ozone layer which shields the Earth from harmful ultraviolet light.

• Thursday, March 8th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Asia and Europe markets advance; Wall Street Latam falter

  

  Stock markets in Europe and much of Asia extended a rally overnight after a week of losses in global equities but Wall Street faltered as investors pulled back. European markets steamed ahead following on Asia's rebound although Tokyo and Hong Kong turned lower.

• Thursday, March 8th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Euro zone rate up 25 points to 3.75%; unchanged in UK

  The European Central Bank raised its key interest rate 25 points to 3.75% in an attempt to keep inflation under control and in the United Kingdom the Bank of England left rates unchanged at 5.25%.

• Wednesday, March 7th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Greenspan: “one third probability” of recession

  Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said there's a “one-third probability” of a recession this year in United States and that the current expansion won't have the staying power of its decade-long predecessor.