International

• Wednesday, November 7th 2018 - 08:34 UTC

  Ozone layer recovering, says the latest UN report: new threat from East Asia

  

  The earth's protective ozone layer is finally healing from damage caused by aerosol sprays and coolants, a new United Nations report said. The ozone layer had been thinning since the late 1970s. Scientist raised the alarm and ozone-depleting chemicals were phased out worldwide.

• Wednesday, November 7th 2018 - 08:30 UTC

  EU and Brexit: Far from an agreement “to guarantee peace in Ireland”

  

  A deal on the Irish border to break the Brexit deadlock is not close, the EU’s chief negotiator said on Tuesday. Michel Barnier was speaking as Theresa May briefed the Cabinet on her plans to achieve a breakthrough in time to secure a special Brexit summit to seal an agreement in November.

• Wednesday, November 7th 2018 - 08:23 UTC

  Pro-Brexit campaign and insurance company face fines of £135,000 over breaches of data laws

  

  Pro-Brexit campaign group Leave.EU and an insurance company owned by its founder Aaron Banks face total fines of £135,000 over breaches of data laws. It follows an Information Commissioner investigation into the misuse of personal data by political campaigns.

• Wednesday, November 7th 2018 - 08:17 UTC

  UK ministers want a Brexit deal by end of November and plan campaign to sell the deal to MPs and public

  

  Senior British ministers have agreed they want to reach a Brexit deal with the EU by the end of November, sources say. “Everyone saw the difficulties of leaving it longer,” a senior cabinet source told the BBC. Meanwhile, the BBC has seen a detailed suggested timetable of how the government could try to sell a deal to MPs and the public.

• Wednesday, November 7th 2018 - 06:48 UTC

  Democrats take control of Representatives, but Republicans will strengthen grip on the Senate

  

  The US Democrats have taken control of the House of Representatives in the mid-term elections. Taking control of the lower chamber of Congress for the first time in eight years will enable Democrats to thwart the president's agenda. But Mr Trump's Republicans are set to strengthen their grip on the Senate.

• Wednesday, November 7th 2018 - 06:29 UTC

  Spanish concern with Brexit's consequences for the fishing fleet in UK and Falklands' waters

  

  Growing concern in Spain about the consequences of Britain's withdrawal from the European Union, with or without a deal, and its impact on the country's strong fishing industry. The issue has been debated in Spain's congress.

• Tuesday, November 6th 2018 - 20:21 UTC

  World Medical Association supports physicians involvement in combing air pollution

  

  The World Medical Association has echoed a high-powered call for health professionals to be more involved in the management of childhood exposure to air pollution. The call has come at the first World Health Organization conference on air pollution being held in Geneva.

• Tuesday, November 6th 2018 - 10:22 UTC

  Chilean operators to seek Supreme Court ruling on Latam / American Airlines “cartel” agreement

  

  The Chilean Association of Tourism Companies (ACHET) Monday announced it will take the question of the agreement of Latam Airlines with American Airlines and International Airlines Groups (IAG), which was approved last Wednesday by the Court of Defense of Free Competition (TDLC), to the Supreme Court, the Diario Financiero newspaper reported.

• Tuesday, November 6th 2018 - 08:44 UTC

  Oil market cautious as US punitive sanctions on Iran become effective

  

  Oil prices were mixed on Monday after a steep five-day fall, as the United States formally imposed punitive sanctions on Iran but granted eight countries temporary waivers allowing them to keep buying oil from the Islamic Republic. The sanctions are part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s effort to curb Iran’s missile and nuclear programs and diminish its influence in the Middle East.

• Tuesday, November 6th 2018 - 08:41 UTC

  Mercosur members adhere to WTO Precision Biotechnology applied to agriculture

  

  U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the United States has joined with 12 other nations, (including Mercosur founding members) to support policies that enable agricultural innovation, including genome editing. The International Statement on Agricultural Applications of Precision Biotechnology was released in Geneva at the World Trade Organization Committee on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.