Stories for February 16th 2019

Saturday, February 16th 2019 - 16:36 UTC
US Air Force plane takes off with help for Venezuela

A C-17 cargo plane of the United States Air Force took off Saturday from the Homestead Air Force Base, in Florida, with the Venezuelan-Colombian border as the destination. The aircraft is one of three that will transport 250 tons of food, hygiene kits and nutritional supplements, a congressional aide to the US Congress told the Associated Press (AP).
Saturday, February 16th 2019 - 11:30 UTC
China/US trade talks break down; Washington warns “very difficult issues” remain unresolved

Trade talks between the US and China have broken up without a deal, with the US warning that “very difficult issues” remain unresolved. The talks in China this week were aimed at securing a new deal before further US tariffs are imposed on 1 March. China said negotiations would now continue in the US next week.
Saturday, February 16th 2019 - 11:12 UTC
Brexit “has raised tensions again and brought back a lot of the rhetoric of the past” warns ex Irish premier

Brexit has “raised tensions” on the island of Ireland and “complicated” progress towards a lasting peace, one of the authors of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) has told MPs. The former premier of the Republic of Ireland, Bertie Ahern, said people were worried that a no-deal UK withdrawal from the EU would be the start of a “slippery slope” to a hard border, with checkpoints and troops.
Saturday, February 16th 2019 - 11:10 UTC
Brexit has cost UK economy some £80 billion since the 2016 vote, says BoE policymaker

Brexit has cost the British economy at least £80 billion since the referendum and the shock of a no-deal divorce could see interest rates slashed, according to a Bank of England policymaker. Gertjan Vlieghe, an external member of the central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee, said that, since the June 2016 vote, 2% has been shaved off GDP.
Saturday, February 16th 2019 - 11:06 UTC
UK retired diplomats call on PM May to delay Brexit or a second referendum

A group of retired diplomats have issued a plea to Theresa May to delay Brexit to allow more time to establish a clearer plan or allow for a second referendum. In a statement to The Times, more than 40 former ambassadors and Foreign Office mandarins warned that if the Prime Minister secured agreement on her plan, it would not mark the end of uncertainty but the start of years of negotiations.
Saturday, February 16th 2019 - 11:04 UTC
Emiliano Sala’s body back in Argentina for funeral in his hometown

The funeral of Cardiff City striker Emiliano Sala will take place in Argentina on Saturday. The 28-year-old died when the plane he was in with pilot David Ibbotson crashed in the English Channel en route from Nantes to Cardiff on 21 January.
Saturday, February 16th 2019 - 10:59 UTC
US/Mexico Trump challenges Congress and declares a national emergency

President Donald Trump on Friday declared a national emergency in a bid to fund his promised wall at the U.S.-Mexico border without congressional approval, an action Democrats vowed to challenge as a violation of the U.S. Constitution.
Saturday, February 16th 2019 - 10:55 UTC
Falklands' bishop travels to Stanley for a confirmation service

Three people were confirmed this week in the most southerly cathedral in the Anglican Communion – but the cathedral’s bishop, Tim Thornton, had to travel some 8,000 miles from his office in London, England, for the service, reports the Anglican Communion News Service.
Saturday, February 16th 2019 - 10:46 UTC
Theresa May sticks to her Brexit strategy despite Tories row and Commons defeat

British Prime Minister Theresa May is sticking to her Brexit strategy, despite her party rowing in the wake of her latest Commons defeat. MPs rejected a motion endorsing her approach by 303 to 258, with 66 Tory MPs abstaining, leading one minister to accuse Brexiteer rebels of “treachery”.
Saturday, February 16th 2019 - 10:37 UTC
Prince Charles will make an official visit to Cuba in March, as part of a Caribbean tour

Prince Charles will make the first-ever official British royal visit to Cuba in March, his office announced on Friday, to mark improving ties between the two nations. The heir to the throne and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, will make a four-day visit to Cuba during a wider tour of the Caribbean, his Clarence House official residence said.