International

• Monday, March 19th 2018 - 08:52 UTC

  Next chief of China's central bank was educated in University of Illinois

  

  US-educated economist Yi Gang has been named the next governor of China's central bank, replacing Zhou Xiaochuan. Mr Yi joined the People's Bank of China (PBOC) 20 years ago and has been its deputy governor since 2008. His appointment is being seen as one of ensured continuity as Beijing continues to try and rein in growing debt and limit risky financial practices.

• Monday, March 19th 2018 - 08:21 UTC

  Video Assistant Referee will be used at the World Cup in Russia

  

  Video assistant referees will be used at the World Cup for the first time after Fifa formally approved the technology for this year's tournament. VAR has been trialed in some domestic English cup games this season, and has been used in Germany and Italy.

• Sunday, March 18th 2018 - 10:13 UTC

  Another four years for Putin, and with a landslide

  

  By Gwynne Dyer - Vladmir Putin is going to win another six years in power by a landslide in the Russian election on March 18 — probably between 60 and 70 per cent of the popular vote. The real question is what happens after that, because he will be 72 by the end of his next term and will not legally be allowed to run for president again.

• Sunday, March 18th 2018 - 10:00 UTC

  Dr. Fang Liu of China reelected as Secretary General of UN's ICAO

  

  The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has reappointed Dr. Fang Liu of China by acclamation as Secretary General of the UN Specialized Agency for a second three-year term, beginning 1 August 2018.

• Saturday, March 17th 2018 - 06:58 UTC

  Boris Johnson points directly to Putin, the dictator. Furious reaction from the Kremlin

  

  Russian President Vladimir Putin is “overwhelmingly likely” to have ordered the nerve agent attack on an ex-spy and his daughter, Boris Johnson has said. The foreign secretary underlined that “our quarrel is with Putin's Kremlin, and with his decision” over the Salisbury incident.

• Saturday, March 17th 2018 - 06:51 UTC

  British police launch murder investigation into the death of another Russian exile

  

  British police launched a murder investigation Friday after an autopsy revealed that a Russian exile who was critical of Vladimir Putin was strangled in his home. Nikolay Glushkov, whose body was found on Monday, died as a result of “compression to the neck,” London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

• Friday, March 16th 2018 - 10:38 UTC

  Three Caribbean nations blacklisted as tax havens by the European Union

  

  European Union (EU) finance ministers have added the Bahamas, the US Virgin Islands and St Kitts and Nevis to a tax haven blacklist, while removing St Lucia from the list. And Trinidad and Tobago remains on the list which was created last December.

• Friday, March 16th 2018 - 10:28 UTC

  Western leaders abhor nerve-agent attack and point to Russia: “no plausible alternative explanation”

  

  The leaders of France, Germany, the US and UK say there is “no plausible alternative explanation” to Russia having been behind the nerve agent attack in the UK. They condemned the “first offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe since the Second World War”, calling it an assault on UK sovereignty.

• Friday, March 16th 2018 - 10:06 UTC

  Hammond and Johnson will be visiting Argentina

  

  British Chancellor Philip Hammond and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson are scheduled to visit Argentina as part of the G20 ministerial round of meetings in coming weeks, announced UK ambassador Mark Kent following talks on Thursday with foreign minister Jorge Faurie.

• Friday, March 16th 2018 - 03:11 UTC

  Falklands plans fishing talks with Argentina after more than a decade

  

  Exchanges of information between the Falkland Islands and Argentina about fish and squid stocks could begin again before the middle of this year, if all parties are in agreement. Director of Natural Resources John Barton said: “Dialogue with Argentina on the conservation of shared marine resources has the potential to allow for better management of shared fish stocks and improve sustainability of such stocks.”