International

• Tuesday, August 22nd 2017 - 21:59 UTC

  UK names expert to negotiate free trade deals in the post Brexit world

  

  The man charged with helping to negotiate Britain's free trade deals around the world post-Brexit has said the agreements can help improve global security. Crawford Falconer, who will work with International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox, said there was a “powerful political and security element to getting this right”.

• Tuesday, August 22nd 2017 - 17:56 UTC

  UK sets out post Brexit papers; EU insists citizens rights, financial settlement and Ireland come first

  

  The UK government has set out proposals to ensure trade in goods and services can continue on the day the UK leaves the EU in March 2019. A position paper calls for goods already on the market to be allowed to remain on sale in the UK and EU without additional restrictions. It also calls for consumer protections to remain in place.

• Tuesday, August 22nd 2017 - 07:11 UTC

  UK controversy over tactical voting; reform campaigners want proportional representation

  

  Tactical voting reached a new peak at June's general election as voters tried to get round a failed system, according to electoral reform campaigners. The Electoral Reform Society branded the poll a “hold your nose election,” claiming 6.5 million voted tactically rather than for what they believed in.

• Tuesday, August 22nd 2017 - 07:04 UTC

  Brexit: A paper on the role of the European Court of Justice expected this week

  

  In the latest in a series of papers setting out its Brexit negotiating plans, the government will say disputes need to be resolved “in a clear and sensible way”, saying it is determined to agree new arrangements. This will be crucial for both UK and EU citizens and businesses that buy and sell across borders, it says.

• Tuesday, August 22nd 2017 - 06:23 UTC

  Chinese automaker “deeply interested” in buying Jeep from Fiat Chrysler

  

  A Chinese automaker is “deeply interested” in buying Jeep, an iconic American brand, from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in a move that likely would face political opposition in the U.S. and create angst among workers. Great Wall Motor told trade publication Automotive News it also has “indirectly expressed interest” in acquiring the brand known for its rugged, off-road vehicles.

• Tuesday, August 22nd 2017 - 06:10 UTC

  Trump announces greater involvement in Afghanistan; Taliban pledge to fight on

  

  President Donald Trump announced on Monday night his administration’s plans to continue the engagement of the United States military in Afghanistan, a strategy meant to combat the influence of the Taliban and the ISIS affiliate in the country that will for go a formal timetable and instead rely upon “conditions on the ground” to guide U.S. activities.

• Tuesday, August 22nd 2017 - 05:45 UTC

  Big Ben falls silent after Monday's midday bongs until Remembrance Sunday and New Year

  

  The Big Ben has fallen silent for major repair work expected to last until 2021. The Monday midday bongs were the last regular chimes from the famous bell until the repairs to its tower are complete. It will still be used for special occasions, including New Year's Eve and Remembrance Sunday.

• Monday, August 21st 2017 - 10:42 UTC

  Warnings about Northern Ireland peace funding and Brexit negotiations

  

  Lord Peter Hain has called on the government to “soften” its approach to ”taking the UK out of the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice (ECJ).” The former secretary of state claimed that such a move could result in Northern Ireland losing millions of pounds of peace funding. The ECJ oversees reconciliation grants to North Ireland in the region of £240 million.

• Monday, August 21st 2017 - 10:34 UTC

  Intellectual property: Trump orders investigation into China's policies and practices

  

  United States has formally launched an investigation into China's policies regarding intellectual property. The top US trade official, Robert Lighthizer, said his office had “determined that these critical issues merit a thorough investigation”.

• Monday, August 21st 2017 - 08:45 UTC

  Hard Brexit proposal to remove all trade tariffs and barriers sparks strong controversy

  

  Removing all trade tariffs and barriers would help generate an annual £135bn uplift to the UK economy, according to a group of pro-Brexit economists. A “hard” Brexit is “economically much superior to soft” argues Prof Patrick Minford, lead author of a report from Economists for Free Trade, which insists that eliminating tariffs, either within free trade deals or unilaterally, would deliver huge gains.