International

• Tuesday, December 4th 2018 - 08:41 UTC

  Qatar exits OPEC on January to concentrate as world's largest LNG exporter

  

  Qatar said it will quit OPEC to focus on gas in a swipe at Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of the oil exporting group which is trying to show unity in tackling an oil price slide. Doha, one of OPEC’s smallest oil producers but the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, is embroiled in a row with OPEC members Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

• Tuesday, December 4th 2018 - 08:36 UTC

  Britain confirms appointments of Armed Services top echelon including First Sea Lord

  

  British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson has confirmed that the Queen has approved the new appointment of First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff. Vice Admiral Tony Radakin CB is to be promoted Admiral and appointed First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, in succession to Admiral Sir Philip Jones.

• Tuesday, December 4th 2018 - 08:28 UTC

  Yellow vests' protests reflect widespread anger and challenge to Macron's reforms

  

  Protesters from France's “gilet jaunes” (yellow vests) movement have pulled out of a meeting with PM Edouard Philippe scheduled for Tuesday. Some members of the group said they had received death threats from hard-line protesters warning them not to enter into negotiations with the government.

• Tuesday, December 4th 2018 - 08:25 UTC

  A seven year old boy reviewing toys has generated US$ 22 million in YouTube

  

  A seven-year-old boy who reviews toys has been revealed as YouTube's highest-earning star, raking in US$ 22m. The estimate by Forbes magazine found that Ryan of Ryan Toys Review pipped Jake Paul by US$ 500,000 for the 12 months to June. Videos are posted most days and one promoting a blue giant mystery egg-bearing Ryan's face has had more than a million views since Sunday.

• Tuesday, December 4th 2018 - 08:17 UTC

  Refusal to publish Brexit deal triggers contempt of Parliament debate in Commons

  

  The UK government may have broken Parliamentary rules by not publishing Brexit legal advice, the Commons Speaker has said. John Bercow said there was an “arguable case” that a contempt of Parliament has been committed.

• Tuesday, December 4th 2018 - 05:42 UTC

  British PM May appoints Mark Menzies MP as Trade Envoy to Argentina

  

  Prime Minister Theresa May has appointed Mark Menzies MP as the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy to Argentina. The announcement was made on Monday by the Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox, in a message to both Houses of Parliament.

• Monday, December 3rd 2018 - 14:25 UTC

  Shinzo Abe, Mario Abdo Benítez formalise Japanese aid to Paraguay

  

  Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Paraguay Sunday afternoon to meet with President Mario Abdo Benítez and visit the local Japanese community. After a stopover in Uruguay, Abe, who became the first Japanese prime minister ever to visit Paraguay, was welcomed at the Silvio Pettirossi international airport by Foreign Minister Luis Alberto Castiglioni.

• Monday, December 3rd 2018 - 13:43 UTC

  Japan's doors open again to Uruguayan beef after Shinzo Abe's Montevideo stop

  

  Uruguay's President Tabaré Vázquez met Sunday with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Montevideo. During the encounter, both leaders signed an agreement which opened Japan's market to beef exports from the South American country after 20 years.

• Monday, December 3rd 2018 - 10:42 UTC

  Turkey, Paraguay close ties with presidential meeting in Asunción

  

  The presidents of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Mario Abdo Benítez, of Paraguay, Sunday agreed in Asunción to join efforts against terrorism and transnational crime as well as to further commercial and business alliances between their two countries.

• Monday, December 3rd 2018 - 08:43 UTC

  Strong message from Merkel to Macri: How the world sees and expects Argentina to perform

  

  She was the last to arrive, but together with French president Emmanuel Macron one of the most popular leaders during the G20 summit in Buenos Aires. Her official aircraft had to turn back because of communications problems so German Chancellor Angela Merkel took a commercial flight from Madrid directly to Buenos Aires, a day late for the inauguration but not for the other activities including a couple of outings in the Argentine capital.