A Romanian oil rig came under fire today from an Iranian military warship and was later occupied by Iranian troops.

European Union states must include strong clauses to defend workers' rights in the new Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) regulation providing trade benefits for developing countries, representatives of the international trade union movement declared in Brussels.

The EU said yesterday that it would accelerate moves to lower trade tariffs on products from the world’s poorest countries, including many hit by the Asian tsunami.