International

• Saturday, October 20th 2018 - 08:42 UTC

  Ireland insists a Brexit transition period is not an alternative for backstop proposal

  

  An extended Brexit transition period is not an alternative to the EU’s backstop proposal, Irish premier Leo Varadkar has warned. The Taoiseach said he is open to the idea of an extension but it fails to resolve the border issue.

• Saturday, October 20th 2018 - 08:42 UTC

  Brexit has the Conservative party unity under “existential strain”

  

  The Conservative Party has been put under “existential strain” by Brexit and some friendships and relationships will “never be healed”, according to a former cabinet minister. Nicky Morgan, the Tory chairwoman of the Treasury Committee, laid bare the personal toll on MPs divided over the merits of the UK’s departure from the European Union as she insisted she still believes the party can come back together.

• Saturday, October 20th 2018 - 08:37 UTC

  Moody's cuts Italy's credit rating and EC warns over 2019 budget plans

  

  Moody's has cut Italy's credit rating by a notch over concerns about plans for larger deficits and the high public debt load as the country's populist government clashes with Brussels over its budget. The European Commission formally warned Italy late Thursday that its budget plans for 2019 are a serious concern, launching a high-stakes process that could see Rome hit with unprecedented sanctions for breaking commitments to Brussels.

• Saturday, October 20th 2018 - 08:33 UTC

  China's growth cools to its weakest since the global financial crisis

  

  China's economic growth cooled to its weakest quarterly pace since the global financial crisis, with regulators moving quickly to calm nervous investors as a years-long campaign to tackle debt risks and the trade war with the United States began to bite.

• Saturday, October 20th 2018 - 07:00 UTC

  Saudi Arabia admits Khashoggi was killed at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul

  

  Saudi Arabia’s King Salman removed a key royal adviser and a senior intelligence official as the public prosecutor said an initial probe showed that journalist and government critic Jamal Khashoggi was killed at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul.

• Saturday, October 20th 2018 - 06:36 UTC

  Gibraltar, not a problem to reach a Brexit agreement, says Spain

  

  Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez both sent positive signals about the progress of Brexit talks relating to Gibraltar, effectively confirming the Rock’s inclusion in any withdrawal and transitional arrangements to soften the process of leaving the EU.

• Friday, October 19th 2018 - 18:15 UTC

  Ecuador, Venezuela sever diplomatic ties due to improper accusations

  

  The government of President Lenin Moreno Thursday expelled Venezuela's ambassador in Quito and the Nicolás Maduro regime hit back by ordering the Ecuadorian chargé d'affairs out of Caracas. Ambassador Carol Delgado was sent back to Venezuela and Ecuador's Elizabeth Mendez was ordered to leave Caracas.

• Friday, October 19th 2018 - 08:40 UTC

  Facebook's “war room” to combat fake news ahead of Brazil and US elections

  

  During the first round of Brazil's presidential election on 7 October, Facebook staff noticed something suspicious on the social network. A story posted to Facebook incorrectly claimed the election was delayed because of protests. The company's data scientists and operations team scrambled to pull down the misinformation before it went viral.

• Friday, October 19th 2018 - 08:19 UTC

  Paris charm offensive to attract City of London workers with English schools

  

  The woman tasked with attracting City workers to Paris as Brexit rolls on is stepping up her charm offensive, with plans for a new private English school to cater for the wealthy. Marie-Celie Guillaume, the chief executive of La Defense – the business district in the west of Paris – is banking on family life being the key that unlocks a raft of new relocations from Britain to France.

• Friday, October 19th 2018 - 08:18 UTC

  UK foreign trade hampered by Brexit uncertainty, claims British Chambers of Commerce

  

  Brexit is making it difficult for firms to decide whether to import or export, hampering British trade, according to a new survey. Research by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) indicated that half of businesses have to consider uncertainty over Brexit when deciding whether to trade internationally.