Stories for May 2017

Monday, May 15th 2017 - 07:46 UTC
EU prepared to block Brexit talks unless citizenship measures are “reasonable”

The European Parliament could seek to block talks on a UK-EU trade deal unless guarantees are put in place for the rights of citizens, the MEP in charge of the process has indicated. Guy Verhofstadt, the parliament’s chief Brexit negotiator, said MEPs would have to decide whether sufficient progress had been made on issues including EU citizens’ rights in the UK and those of British expatriates on the continent before talks on Britain’s future relationship with Brussels could proceed.
Monday, May 15th 2017 - 07:28 UTC
Microsoft warns governments the latest global cyber-attack is a “wake-up call”

The cyber-attack that has hit 150 countries since Friday should be treated by governments around the world as a “wake-up call”, Microsoft says. The computing giant said software vulnerabilities hoarded by governments had caused “widespread damage”.
Monday, May 15th 2017 - 07:01 UTC
Merkel en route to a fourth term: her party unseats Social Democrats in key state election

Germany's Christian Democrats (CDU) have unseated the Social Democrats in a key state election, exit polls are indicating. Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU is projected to win 34.5% of votes in North Rhine-Westphalia, compared with 30.5% for the Social Democrats (SPD). It was seen as a test for Mrs. Merkel ahead of September's general election.
Monday, May 15th 2017 - 06:46 UTC
Sovereignty of the Falklands will not be undermined, pledges Labour shadow foreign secretary

UK Labour’s shadow foreign secretary, Emily Thornberry has accused Michael Fallon of talking “bollocks” after the defense secretary claimed she wanted to negotiate with Argentina over the future of the Falklands. In a spiky exchange on the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, Thornberry hit back at Fallon, saying: “That is bollocks. It’s untrue,” and adding: “You can’t just make this stuff up.”
Monday, May 15th 2017 - 06:07 UTC
President Macron vows a French renaissance, and travels to meet Merkel in Berlin

Emmanuel Macron is beginning his first day as French president with two main tasks, picking a prime minster, a crucial appointment since he needs to make a good showing in next month's parliamentary elections to push through his planned economic reforms. The second is to travel to Germany to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Sunday, May 14th 2017 - 09:27 UTC
YPF crude and gas output expected to decline 3% in 2017, due to labor problems and bad weather

Argentina's state-run oil firm YPF expects a 3% decline in crude and natural gas output this year due to labor problems and bad weather, Chief Financial Officer Daniel Gonzalez told investors during a conference call in Buenos Aires.
Sunday, May 14th 2017 - 09:05 UTC
Argentine officials confident economy exited recession and should grow 3% this year

Argentine Treasury Minister Nicolas Dujovne said he was confident the economy would grow more than 3% this year, while another treasury official said the economy had rebounded in March after declining the prior two months.
Sunday, May 14th 2017 - 08:53 UTC
Brazil retail sales plunge in March; government insists economy will be positive in first quarter

Retail sales in Brazil unexpectedly fell in March at the steepest monthly rate in 14 years, strengthening bets on a bolder interest rate cut at the end of this month. Sales volumes excluding cars and building materials fell 1.9% in March from February, government statistics agency IBGE said. Sales fell 4.0% from the year-earlier period.
Sunday, May 14th 2017 - 00:03 UTC
UK/Uruguay confirm Antarctic cooperation with Montevideo visit of two BAS research vessels

Two British scientific research vessels coincided in Montevideo in early May at the end of the Antarctic season, in their way back to Southampton. Icebreaker RRS Shackleton and RRS James Clark Ross with sophisticated scientific research equipment and tens of experts in different disciplines spent months in Antarctica and returned to Montevideo, a traditional call port the British Antarctic Survey, BAS.
Saturday, May 13th 2017 - 08:31 UTC
Reefer stranded in South Atlantic towed outside Falklands Conservation zone

The reefer stranded in the South Atlantic after she was abandoned by the crew given its precarious situation caused by serious flooding of its holds, has been towed outside the Falkland Islands Outer Conservation Zone, according to the latest report from Baltmed Reefer Services operator of “Uruguay Reefer”.