International

• Friday, August 28th 2015 - 07:22 UTC

  Brazil/EU summit next year following exchange of proposals with Mercosur

  

  Brazil and the European Union agreed to hold their annual summit during the first half of 2016, following the exchange of proposals for a wide ranging and cooperation trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur.

• Friday, August 28th 2015 - 07:06 UTC

  US economy 2Q performance changes the mood of markets

  

  Shares rise and oil prices jumped 9% after revised figures showed the US economy grew by far more than had been thought between April and June. The economy grew by an annualized rate of 3.7%, up from the first estimate of 2.3%. Growth of 0.6% in the first three months of the year was not revised.

• Thursday, August 27th 2015 - 05:04 UTC

  Barcelona targets home rental websites to crack on 'uncontrolled' tourism

  

  Barcelona's new mayor is picking a fight with home rental websites as she tries to crack down on uncontrolled tourism that she fears could drive out poor residents and spoil the Catalan capital's charm. Ada Colau is threatening to fine firms like Airbnb and Booking.com if they market apartments from tourists without a number showing that they are on the Catalan tourism register.

• Thursday, August 27th 2015 - 04:53 UTC

  Spain confident its Gibraltar tough policy is 'bearing fruit' and will continue

  

  The Spanish Government’s measures toward Gibraltar are ‘bearing fruit, Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel García-Margallo said in a weekend interview in which he vowed to maintain pressure on the Rock. Although the minister’s tough language on Gibraltar was nothing new, it was the second time within the space of a week that he had spoken out on the Rock.

• Thursday, August 27th 2015 - 04:28 UTC

  Wall Street rebounds 4%, but European markets still fearful of China

  

  Shares on Wall Street finished with their biggest rise in four years ending another rocky day of trading on global markets. The mood was lifted by comments from US Federal Reserve official William Dudley that a rate rise in September seemed “less compelling”.

• Thursday, August 27th 2015 - 04:21 UTC

  Chinese shares timidly return to positive territory: Shanghai Composite up 2.3%

  

  Chinese shares have returned to positive territory after massive losses earlier in the week rocket markets around the globe. The Shanghai Composite was up by 2.3% at 2,991.91 points. The turnaround, though, does little to make up double digit percentage losses made so far this week.

• Wednesday, August 26th 2015 - 16:38 UTC

  Chevening scholarships for 31 professionals from Uruguay

  

  A record of 31 professionals from Uruguay have been awarded with Chevening scholarships to study courses in different disciplines in the United Kingdom. Chevening are UK government’s global scholarship program, funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and partner organizations, such as Uruguay's research and innovation office, ANII.

• Wednesday, August 26th 2015 - 07:10 UTC

  Chinese stocks refuse to bounce back; Shanghai Composite dropped 16% this week

  

  Chinese shares continued to lose ground despite the central bank's latest effort to reassure traders. The mainland's benchmark Shanghai Composite was down 1.1% to 2,930.23 points after a volatile open earlier. The index had already fallen about 16% this week, sending shockwaves through global markets.

• Wednesday, August 26th 2015 - 07:02 UTC

  “Using cheap money to tackle economic problems rather than reform must stop”

  

  Central banks are under too much pressure to fix struggling economies, according to the man in charge of India's monetary policy. Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan hinted that using cheap money to tackle economic problems - rather than painful reform - had to stop.

• Wednesday, August 26th 2015 - 06:36 UTC

  World Dog Day celebrated with and online interactive info-graphic

  

  Around the world humankind benefits from its relationship with dogs; a truth which is at the core of World Dog Day, celebrated annually on the 26th August. In recognition and celebration of the age-old union between Man and Dog, HealthforAnimals has created an online interactive info-graphic, detailing the many valuable roles dogs perform in societies all around the world.