China’s trade growth decelerates amid global slowdown

China's trade growth slowed in September, raising fresh concerns about the impact of a global slowdown on its economy. Exports rose 17.1% in September, from a year earlier, but fell from a 24.5% growth in the previous month. Meanwhile, imports rose…

Slovak rivals reach deal to back EU bailout fund

Political rivals in Slovakia have agreed to support a crucial bill ratifying changes to the EU bailout fund in exchange for early elections. The bill was defeated in a first vote on Tuesday, after a coalition party and the main opposition…

Blackberry problems spread to the TCI, US & World

Problems with the Blackberry smartphone system appear have to spread…

Barroso outlines plan to resolve eurozone debt crisis

The president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, has set out a plan designed to bring an end to the eurozone debt crisis. In a speech, Mr Barroso said banks must set aside more assets to help guard against future losses. Banks…

Federal Reserve split over ‘Operation Twist’ stimulus

Three members of the Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee (FOMC) voted against the Fed's latest stimulus measures at its meeting last month, minutes have revealed. After the meeting, the Fed announced a $400bn (£254bn) bond programme designed…

Australia parliament passes divisive carbon tax

Australia's lower house of parliament has narrowly passed a bill for a controversial carbon tax. The legislation would force about 500 of the biggest polluters to pay for each tonne of carbon dioxide they emit. The tax is central to the government's…

US Senate passes bill to pressure China on yuan

The US Senate has voted through a bill that aims to aims to put pressure on China to increase the value of its currency, the yuan. Some lawmakers argue that the Chinese yuan has been kept artificially undervalued, giving the country an unfair…

Japan government and central bank intervene to cut yen

The Japanese government and central bank have intervened to weaken the yen and protect economic growth. In the morning, Japan moved into the currency markets, cutting the value of the yen against the US dollar. The Bank of Japan announced further…

Italy ‘to default’ but Spain may ‘just’ escape

Debt-laden Italy is likely to default, but Spain might just avoid it, according to the British think tank, the Centre for Economics and Business Research. With the countries weighed down by debt, the think tank modelled "good" and "bad" economic…

European stock markets continue to slide

European shares have fallen sharply as fears grow about eurozone debt levels and the health of the global economy. The main share indexes in London and Frankfurt were both down 2.3%, while the Cac 40 in Paris dropped by 1.9%. US stocks initially…