Stories for August 2017

Thursday, August 31st 2017 - 10:56 UTC
Brexit dominates politics and has left England “deeply polarized”, says major report

England has become more tolerant and open on the whole but Brexit has left the country “deeply polarized”, a major new report concludes. The study identifies a softening in attitudes towards immigration and finds that two-fifths of the population (39%) have liberal outlooks – compared with 22% six years ago.
Thursday, August 31st 2017 - 10:36 UTC
Argentina considers renting fighter aircraft from Brazil for the G20 summit in Buenos Aires

Argentina will be hosting the 2018 G20 summit of world leaders and is considering renting fighter aircraft from Brazil as part of the security preparations since the country's air force is mostly grounded or with very limited interception and strike capacity, according to Argentine military sources.
Thursday, August 31st 2017 - 08:53 UTC
Theresa May confirms full confidence in Boris Johnson; some foreign ministers view him as a “clown”

Theresa May has full confidence in Boris Johnson, Downing Street said as the Foreign Secretary came under fire from critics at home and abroad. Number 10 said the Prime Minister had a good relationship with the Foreign Secretary in response to anonymous briefings saying he was viewed as a “clown” and a “joke” in capitals around the world.
Thursday, August 31st 2017 - 07:24 UTC
Ecuador sentences 20 Chinese fishermen for poaching; Beijing cautious about how to react

Overfishing has given rise to a diplomatic trouble between China and Ecuador. In mid-August, Ecuador detained a Chinese vessel in the Galapagos Islands and found 6.600 sharks on board. The 20 Chinese fishermen have been sentenced up to four years for illegally fishing and to pay US$ 5.9 million.
Thursday, August 31st 2017 - 07:08 UTC
May/Abe pledge closer security cooperation; formal trade discussions on Thursday

Britain and Japan on Thursday pledged closer cooperation on defense, cyber security and counter-terrorism as Prime Minster Theresa May looks to strengthen relations with one of her closest allies ahead of Brexit. May arrived in Japan on Wednesday afternoon for a three-day visit and met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for informal talks over dinner in Kyoto. May also took part in a Japanese tea ceremony
Wednesday, August 30th 2017 - 20:05 UTC
British Retail warns that a 'no deal scenario' with EU means urgent updating of Customs services

Brexit brings risks of food shortages if the UK does not manage to get its customs processes sorted out, the British Retail Consortium has warned, but Brexit campaigners said technology meant there would be “no need for hold-ups at borders”.
Wednesday, August 30th 2017 - 08:35 UTC
Meirelles expects the Brazilian economy to grow between 2.5% and 3% in 2018

Brazil's Finance Minister, Henrique Meirelles, said on Monday that he expects the economy to grow “at around 3%” in 2018. His statement was made a few minutes after a ministerial meeting at the Planalto Palace, at a time when the government is preparing itself to confront a new charge against President Michel Temer.
Wednesday, August 30th 2017 - 08:14 UTC
Euro at its strongest against the US dollar for the first time since 2015

The Euro has hit US$1.20 for the first time since January 2015 as the prospect of a US interest rate rise recedes. Hurricane Harvey's impact has led analysts to assume the US central bank will not want to risk curbing economic growth and fears over North Korea's activities have unnerved investors.
Wednesday, August 30th 2017 - 08:07 UTC
Anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd admits defeat: “we can't match Japan's military surveillance technology”

The anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd has announced it will not intercept Japanese vessels in the Southern Ocean this season. The group's ships have confronted Japanese vessels off Antarctica each year since 2005.
Wednesday, August 30th 2017 - 07:42 UTC
Cristina Fernandez just manages to obtain the most votes in Buenos Aires Province Senate primary

Argentina ex-president Cristina Fernandez group “Citizens' Unity” obtained a significant 34.27% of votes cast in the August 13 PASO primary (open, simultaneous and mandatory) in the province of Buenos Aires to choose Senate candidates for the October 22 midterm election, according to the definitive vote count.