International News

Washington, Nov 19 (IANS) A new generation of 'green' tyres that will boost fuel efficiency without affecting safety or durability is in the pipeline.

Santiago, Nov 19 (EFE) Some $34 billion is to be invested in a series of energy projects in Chile through 2015, roughly 35 percent of the total for initiatives across the full range of industrial sectors.

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc, the U.S. investment bank whose September 2008 collapse sharply accelerated a world financial meltdown, said on Wednesday it expects to have a reorganization plan outline ready by the end of March 2010.

Washington, Nov 19 (IANS) Air pollution poses a largely overlooked threat to people living near smaller regional airports, says a new study.

Madrid, Nov 19 (EFE) Spain's Gross Domestic Product contracted at a slower pace in the third quarter, declining 0.3 percent relative to the previous three-month period and four percent year-on-year, according to final figures from the National Statistics Institute, or INE.

Melbourne, Nov 19 (IANS) Australia's ban on uranium sales to India made no sense at a time when that country was trying to develop its economy, deputy opposition leader Julie Bishop has said.

Florence, Nov 19 (IANS/AKI) Barbie dolls clad in Indian sari, wearing the Muslim burqa and the Japanese kimono are among a collection due to go under the hammer in the central Italian city of Florence Friday.

Havana, Nov 19 (EFE) Seventy percent of Cuba's land under cultivation is being affected by erosion, salinity and acidity, agriculture ministry officials said.

Hundreds of U.S. banks are likely to raise capital in the coming months to deal with losses from bad consumer loans, commercial real estate and other assets, and to build war chests to buy failing rivals.

Washington, Nov 19 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Barrack Obama's summit could provide a springboard for deepening India-US cooperation and setting new directions in their relationship, particularly in the economic arena, according to the Indian envoy here.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told U.S. President Barack Obama in a meeting on Wednesday that China wants to balance its trade relationship with the United States and does not seek a surplus.

An end to the world's longest-running trade dispute, involving bananas, is in sight and could lead to lower prices for shoppers, according to a draft settlement seen by the Financial Times.

A Chinese court has ruled that Microsoft infringed a Chinese software maker's intellectual property rights in a surprise decision that has renewed concerns about China's management of IPR disputes, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

Breaking up the biggest U.S. banks is not a practical solution to addressing the "too big to fail" problem, former Merrill Lynch Chief Executive John Thain said on Tuesday.

The following are highlights from a Senate
Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tuesday on "Remaking the International

U.S. carmaker General Motors could cut between 9,000 and 10,000 jobs as part of its restructuring of its European operations, Nick Reilly, interim head of GM's European business, said on Tuesday.

U.S. carmaker General Motors could cut between 9,000 and 10,000 jobs as part of a restructuring of its European operations, Nick Reilly, interim head of GM's European business, said on Tuesday.

U.S. President Barack Obama urged a reluctant China on Thursday to let its yuan currency rise in value at a summit where strains over trade between the two giants crept into proclamations of goodwill.

U.S. President Barack Obama held much-anticipated talks with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao on Tuesday, with trade friction, the yuan currency and diplomatic headaches such as Iran and North Korea high on the agenda.

Reuters - U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday nudged Chinese President Hu Jintao to allow the yuan currency to appreciate at a landmark summit in Beijing.