International

• Tuesday, July 31st 2018 - 10:26 UTC

  BRICS' leaders support Argentina's economic strategy, claims president Macri

  

  Leaders from the BRICS bloc of emerging economies share a “positive outlook” on Argentina's embattled economy, President Mauricio Macri said on Monday. Macri added that leaders from BRICS members - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - meeting in Johannesburg for the July 25-27 summit also expressed their support for the Argentine government's economic strategy.

• Tuesday, July 31st 2018 - 08:36 UTC

  Guyana top country in discovered oil resources during 2018

  

  Discovered resources globally of conventional oil and natural gas surpassed 4.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent in the first half of 2018, making for an exciting recovery with Guyana leading the way, according to analysis by Rystad Energy. Average monthly discovered volumes are 826 million barrels of oil equivalent. This is a 30% increase from 2017.

• Tuesday, July 31st 2018 - 08:29 UTC

  Taiwan president will attend inauguration of Paraguay's Mario Abdo Benitez

  

  President Tsai Ing-wen will visit two of Taiwan's diplomatic allies, Paraguay and Belize, Aug. 12-20, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Maria Liu said on Monday. On the trip, Tsai will make transit stops in the United States - in Los Angeles on first leg and in Houston on the return journey, Liu said.

• Tuesday, July 31st 2018 - 08:12 UTC

  Argentina and Spain sign fisheries MoU to promote conservation and management of straddling species

  

  Argentina and Spain have signed a fisheries and aquaculture bilateral cooperation Memorandum of Understanding. The MoU was stamped in Buenos Aires during the recent G20 Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries ministerial meeting by Argentina's Luis Miguel Etchevehere and Spain's Luis Planas.

• Tuesday, July 31st 2018 - 07:47 UTC

  King penguins down to 10% of original population in three years in French island

  

  The planet's largest colony of King penguins has declined by nearly 90% in three decades, alarmed researchers said on Monday. The last time scientists set foot on France's remote Ile aux Cochons — roughly half way between the tip of Africa and Antarctica — the island was blanketed by two million of the flightless birds, which stand about a meter tall.

• Tuesday, July 31st 2018 - 07:31 UTC

  Trump ready to meet Iran leaders “anytime they want” and “no preconditions”

  

  United States president Donald Trump declared on Monday that he would meet Iran's leaders “anytime they want,” an invitation for face-to-face dialogue with a country he had appeared to threaten with war only days before and an affirmation of Trump's faith in his brand of personal diplomacy.

• Tuesday, July 31st 2018 - 07:20 UTC

  “Rethink devolution” as a result of Brexit, Westminster and Scotland coincide

  

  The UK government “must rethink devolution” as a result of Brexit, a group of MPs have recommended. The process of leaving the EU has sparked a series of clashes between UK government ministers and their counterparts in Scotland and Wales.

• Monday, July 30th 2018 - 14:29 UTC

  “Immediate beginning” of trade negotiations with EU, announces Trump's chief economic advisor

  

  President Trump's chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow says that trade negotiations with the European Union are set to begin “immediately” following a meeting between Mr. Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. The two agreed to work toward “zero” tariffs and hold off on additional tariffs at the meeting at the White House on Thursday.

• Monday, July 30th 2018 - 12:38 UTC

  Thomas Cook will stop selling tickets for Sea World and Loro Parque

  

  Global tour giant Thomas Cook says it will stop selling tickets to “any animal attractions that keep orcas in captivity”. That means marine parks like Sea World in Florida and Loro Parque in Tenerife will be dropped next year.

• Monday, July 30th 2018 - 09:44 UTC

  Airlines yield to Beijing and eliminate reference to Taiwan as independent

  

  The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the move by the three biggest US airlines to change how they refer to Taiwan on their booking websites was a “positive development”.