International

Monday, April 22nd 2019 - 08:06 UTC
UK pub numbers dropped from 54.000 to 43.000 in seven years

Nearly 1,000 UK pubs shut last year, although the rate of closures is slowing, new research claims. About 76 pubs a month “vanished” from the communities they served in 2018, as people spent less on going out and pubs faced cost pressures, said property firm Altus Group.
Sunday, April 21st 2019 - 11:45 UTC
A Tiananmen Square publicity video triggers the fury of the Beijing government

Germany's Leica Camera AG drew criticism on Chinese social media over a video depicting a news photographer covering the crackdown on pro-democracy protests in and around Beijing's Tiananmen Square three decades ago. The five-minute dramatization, released this week, touches on a highly sensitive topic in China.
Saturday, April 20th 2019 - 11:40 UTC
Emma Thompson joined climate change activists in central London

Film star Emma Thompson joined climate change activists in a central London shopping district on Friday to read poetry praising Earth's bounties, part of five days of protests which clogged the British capital with transport snarl-ups.
Saturday, April 20th 2019 - 09:43 UTC
England and France top bankers warn of financial risks associated to climate change

The heads of two major central banks have written a stark warning about the financial risks of climate change. Bank of England governor Mark Carney and France's François Villeroy de Galhau set out the dangers to the global economy in an open letter.
Saturday, April 20th 2019 - 09:35 UTC
Vatican denounces widespread inequality in the world during the Good Friday service

Pope Francis listened as a preacher denounced the widespread inequality in the world at a Good Friday service on the day Christians recall Jesus' death by crucifixion. During the “Passion of the Lord” service in St Peter's Basilica, songs in Latin recounted the last hours in Jesus' life, from his arrest to his burial.
Saturday, April 20th 2019 - 09:21 UTC
Argentina's think tank CARI underlines the significance of China's Belt and Road forum

Argentine experts have expressed the belief that the upcoming Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation can yield more concrete steps for collaboration between China and Latin America. Members of the Asian Affairs Committee at Argentina's Council on International Relations (CARI), a leading think tank, spoke to China's government news agency Xinhua in the lead-up to the forum.
Saturday, April 20th 2019 - 08:51 UTC
China's Belt and Road forum becomes the main world event during three days in April

Chinese President Xi Jinping will host nearly 40 heads of state next week at the second Belt and Road forum, which is expected to produce more deals for companies and banks that want in on the latter-day Silk Road mega-project. The strong showing is a testament to the project's standing despite its multiple criticisms, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday.
Saturday, April 20th 2019 - 08:45 UTC
Japan joins the mid-sized commercial aircraft market: right plane at the right time

A new, long-delayed 88-passenger jet from Japan may finally be the right airplane at the right time. More cities in Asia and Europe are seeking to link up with each other and the global air travel network. The Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), the first airliner built in Japan since the 1960s, began certification flights last month in Moses Lake, Washington, to satisfy that demand.
Friday, April 19th 2019 - 09:30 UTC
Top Foreign Office diplomat visits Falklands to address Brexit and consequences

Sir Simon McDonald, Permanent Under-Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service at the Foreign Office (FCO) this week assured that the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) and the FCO are “working on a common agenda, which is to secure the future of the Falkland Islands.”
Friday, April 19th 2019 - 09:27 UTC
ConocoPhillips pulling out of the North Sea oil exploration and production

ConocoPhillips is pulling out of UK exploration and production after selling its North Sea oil and gas assets to Chrysaor for US$ 2.68bn (£2bn). The sale will boost Chrysaor's production by about 72,000 barrels a day to 177,000 - making it one of the UK's biggest operators.