Finish firm tackles menace of stand-by Televisions, computers, DVDs and so on left on stand-by across Europe consume about as much energy per year as a country like Greece or Portugal. 22/10/2008
Secret Life of Bees generates Oscar buzz Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys and Dakota Fanning star in “The Secret Life of Bees”, an adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd’s 2002 bestselling 22/10/2008
Music-lovers crank up temperature in Iceland Winter has Iceland well and truly in its grip but in the clubs of Rekjavik, music-lovers shugged off the cold at what’s been called the hippest long 22/10/2008
Todorov: "It's through fear that the most unacceptable actions are carried out" Bulgarian born philosopher Tzvetan Todorov began his career in the 1960s as a literary theorist. After his move to France in 1963 he developed his 22/10/2008
Danone stands firm on sales targets France’s biggest food producer Danone does not seem to be too worried by the economic slowdown, saying it will stick to its targets for sales and 22/10/2008
Nissan reportedly wants part of Chrysler Nissan is proposing buying around 20 percent of Chrysler, according to a report in a Detroit newspaper. That would bring the troubled US car maker 22/10/2008
India celebrates Chandrayaan Moon-Shot There has been jubilation in India after the country joined the exclusive club of nations which have launched a moon-shot. Chandrayaan-1 blasted 22/10/2008
German Finance Minister rouses Swiss displeasure Switzerland has hit out angrily after comments made by Germany’s finance minister that it should be placed on a tax haven blacklist. The German 22/10/2008
Prosecutors raid KfW over Lehman transfer The Frankfurt headquarters of the German government-owned development bank KfW has been raided by prosecutors. They are investigating how 22/10/2008
EU agrees on "Blue Card" bid to lure skilled migrants In tough economic times, the European Union has moved to lure highly-qualified and skilled migrant workers into the bloc. “The Blue Card” scheme 22/10/2008
Italy's PM refuses to budge amid education demos Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is standing firm in the face of sometimes violent demonstrations by students over controversial education 22/10/2008
Shares hit again by recession fears Increasing recession worries have hammered European shares which closed down five percent on Wednesday. The value of the pound tumbled after the 22/10/2008
Osborne denies soliciting illegal donations The spectre of sleaze in UK politics has risen its head again, this time with allegations of illegal party funding among the opposition 22/10/2008
Italy's PM refuses to budge amid education demos Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is standing firm in the face of sometimes violent demonstrations by students over controversial education 22/10/2008
Donors pledge 3.4 billion euros for Georgia In a strong show of support for Georgia, international donors have pledged some 3.4 billion euros to help rebuild the war-shattered country. The 22/10/2008
New "Bretton Woods" summits begin on Nov 15th The US President George Bush is to host the first in a series of global summits aimed at re-building the world’s finances on the 15th November – 11 22/10/2008
Argentina nationalises pension system Reminiscent of a football match, protesters in Buenos Aires signalled their support after Argentina’s government announced the takeover of the 22/10/2008
Spain demands a role in world financial reform Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero says Spain should be part of next month’s summit to reform the world’s financial system. With 22/10/2008
Georgia donor conference gets underway Hoping to get Georgia back on its feet after this summer’s armed conflict, international donors have gathered for a major fund-raising 22/10/2008
Obama takes 10 point lead The latest poll in the race to the White House shows Democrat Barack Obama has increased his lead over Republican rival John McCain to 10 points 22/10/2008
Afghan soldiers killed by international "friendly-fire" As German troops paid a ceremonial tribute to two comrades killed in a suicide attack on Monday, allies in the Afghan army have become the latest 22/10/2008
USA Obama stays focused on economy Barack Obama made the stricken American economy the central theme of his campaign for the presidency as his Republican rival John McCain questioned 22/10/2008
Russia Russian deputy finance minister freed from jail Russia’s Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak has been released from jail in Moscow pending his trial on charges of embezzlement and fraud, which 22/10/2008
Italy Italian judges ignore 'immunity' accords Italy’s highest court has rejected agreements giving Germany immunity from paying damages to the families of civilians killed by German soldiers in 22/10/2008
India India over the moon as it launches its first lunar probe India has launched its first unmanned mission to the Moon. Chandrayaan-1, or Moon Vehicle, blasted off from a southern Indian space centre shortly 22/10/2008
Markets fall amid recession fears US and most European stock markets closed lower yesterday as investors confronted mixed corporate results and fretted about fresh warnings of 22/10/2008