Stories for August 21st 2015

Friday, August 21st 2015 - 11:35 UTC
Royal Navy's third Astute Class attack submarine ready for sea trials

Artful, the third of the U.K. Royal Navy’s new Astute Class attack submarines, has arrived at her Scottish base port from where she will carry out sea trials before entering service later this year, the U.K. Ministry of Defense announced.
Friday, August 21st 2015 - 07:49 UTC
Merkel calls for a free trade accord between the Europe Union and Mercosur

German Chancellor Angela Merkel pressed Brazil's government on Thursday to further open its markets to foreign companies, and said she saw an opportunity to reach a free-trade deal between the European Union and the Mercosur trade bloc. Merkel is on a two-day visit to Brazil with a large delegation of government officials and representatives from German companies.
Friday, August 21st 2015 - 07:41 UTC
Rousseff admits a year of recession because of 'massive economic difficulties”

A slump in commodity markets will burden the global economy for some time to come, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff told Germany's Handelsblatt business daily, adding she hoped the Brazilian economy would pick up in a year.
Friday, August 21st 2015 - 07:27 UTC
Pro-Rousseff march turnout no match for Sunday's antigovernment protest

Brazil unions and left groups staged a string of protests in a show of support for President Dilma Rousseff, although turnout was markedly lower than at massive anti-government rallies over the weekend. The protests hit back at the growing push to impeach Rousseff, who less than a year into her second term is struggling for political survival.
Friday, August 21st 2015 - 07:08 UTC
Falklands anticipate a busy cruise season with the return of Norwegian Line

The return of the Norwegian Cruise Line to South America this season with nine planned calls to the Falkland Islands “is a massive boost to our cruise ship industry,” Sulivan Shipping Tourism Coordinator Samantha Marsh told Penguin News this week.
Friday, August 21st 2015 - 06:57 UTC
Brazil's July unemployment up for a seventh straight month

Brazil's unemployment rate rose for a seventh straight month in July to the highest in over five years, government data showed on Thursday. The non-seasonally adjusted jobless rate rose in July to 7.5% from 6.9% in June, statistics agency IBGE said.
Friday, August 21st 2015 - 06:42 UTC
Brazil's prosecution seeks to charge Lower House speaker and a Senator on Petrobras corruption

Brazilian prosecutors on Thursday asked the Federal Supreme Court to authorize prosecution of the speaker of the lower house of Congress, Eduardo Cunha, in a massive corruption case centered on state-controlled oil giant Petrobras.
Friday, August 21st 2015 - 06:34 UTC
Shanghai Composite's 'virus' reaches Western markets

Asian stocks saw sharp falls on Friday as mounting concerns over China's slowing economy continued to affect global markets. It follows big falls in US and European markets on Thursday, with the Dow Jones dropping more than 2%.
Friday, August 21st 2015 - 06:17 UTC
California sinking as pumping groundwater continues in response to historic drought, says NASA

California's Department of Water Resources released a new NASA report showing land in the San Joaquin Valley is sinking faster than ever before, nearly 5 centimeters per month in some locations, as Californians continue pumping groundwater in response to a historic drought.
Friday, August 21st 2015 - 06:05 UTC
“What purpose has the past four years of insults toward Gibraltar served?”

Spain’s Foreign Minister, José Manuel García-Margallo, came under flak from the opposition PSOE for his ‘frivolous and inappropriate’ comments about Gibraltar, which were dubbed ‘Francoist’ by one Socialist politician, reports the Gibraltar Chronicle.