International

• Monday, October 15th 2018 - 04:14 UTC

  The Catholic Church has seven new saints

  

  A former pontiff, a Spanish-born nun who is said to have performed her first miracle in Argentina and a slain Salvadorean Bishop were among the seven new saints canonised Sunday by Pope Francis at the Vatican.

• Sunday, October 14th 2018 - 23:34 UTC

  Nigeria: Abducted ICRC health care workers' execution imminent

  

  The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Sunday made a public appeal to the Nigerian Government in a last attempt to save the lives of Hauwa and Alice, two health care workers abducted in March by ISWAP (Islamic State's West African province group).

• Sunday, October 14th 2018 - 23:27 UTC

  David Davis calls for Cabinet to rebel against May over Brexit deal

  

  Prime Minister Theresa May's former Brexit chief negotiator David Davis Sunday wrote in a newspaper column that the entire British Cabinet should drop any plan and seek a free trade deal in the style of Canada.

• Saturday, October 13th 2018 - 20:49 UTC

  UK assumes Chairmanship of the Community of Democracies

  

  As of 15 September 2018, the United Kingdom has taken up the rotating 6-month chairmanship of the Executive Committee of the Community of Democracies, CoD, which is described as a global inter-governmental coalition that aims to promote democratic values.

• Saturday, October 13th 2018 - 08:02 UTC

  Uruguay and Argentina elected to the UN Human Rights Council

  

  The General Assembly on Friday elected 18 States to the Human Rights Council, the United Nations body responsible for promoting and protecting all human rights around the globe, among which Uruguay and Argentina.

• Friday, October 12th 2018 - 15:48 UTC

  Pivotal South African politician Pik Botha dies, aged 86

  

  Roelof Frederik “Pik” Botha, who served as South Africa’s apartheid-era Foreign Affairs Minister for 17 years until 1994 and then joined Nelson Mandela's Cabinet, passed away at a Pretoria hospital on Thursday night. He was 86.

• Friday, October 12th 2018 - 09:05 UTC

  Chile wants lithium traded on the London Metals Exchange

  

  Chile has called for lithium to be traded on the London Metals Exchange to provide greater “clarity” about its value, mining minister Baldo Prokurica said. At present, lithium producers negotiate contracts with buyers but the terms of the deals are not made public. Critics say this lack of clarity has a chilling effect on potential new investment in the market since the metal’s value cannot be precisely measured.

• Friday, October 12th 2018 - 08:47 UTC

  International condemnation of Venezuelan government over suspicious death of elected councilor

  

  Questions and condemnation of Venezuela's leadership poured in this week following the suspicious death of an opposition councilman and activist who authorities say evaded justice by throwing himself from the 10th floor of political police headquarters' building.

• Friday, October 12th 2018 - 08:38 UTC

  A no-deal Brexit a “disaster” for Spain's tourism industry

  

  A no-deal Brexit would be “a disaster” for Spain, the country’s UK tourism chief has warned. Javier Pinanes, director of Spain’s tourist office in London, acknowledged that travel disruption caused by the UK and the European Union failing to negotiate an agreement would be “a really big problem”.

• Friday, October 12th 2018 - 08:29 UTC

  UK cabinet ministers concerned about potential compromises with EU over Brexit

  

  UK government cabinet ministers raised concerns about potential compromises with the EU over Brexit at a No 10 meeting on Thursday. According to London media reports Liam Fox, Michael Gove and Dominic Raab expressed concern the whole of the UK could remain in the customs union for an open-ended period.