International

• Wednesday, August 16th 2017 - 09:39 UTC

  Air carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth arrives at her home port of Portsmouth

  

  HMS Queen Elizabeth, Britain's newest Aircraft carrier arrived at its home port of Portsmouth this Wednesday morning for the first time. The 280 meters long carrier is currently undergoing sea trials since it left Rosyth dockyard in Scotland in June.

• Wednesday, August 16th 2017 - 09:22 UTC

  UK rejects any border posts between Ireland and Ulster, according to Brexit paper

  

  The United Kingdom government has said it does not want any border posts between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in its new position paper on Brexit. The paper is part of its negotiations with the European Union and the broad ideas in the document appear familiar.

• Wednesday, August 16th 2017 - 08:02 UTC

  The iconic Big Ben will undergo conservation and remain silent until 2021

  

  Since it first rang out in 1859, Big Ben has become one of London’s most iconic landmarks, faithfully marking every hour and quarter hour with resounding bongs and tinkling chimes. But a four-year conservation project will soon cause the historic clock tower to fall silent, as Tara John reports for Time.

• Tuesday, August 15th 2017 - 15:44 UTC

  Trump orders review of China's practices regarding intellectual property; Beijing warns it “will not sit idle”

  

  President Donald Trump has asked his country's top trade official to review China's practices regarding intellectual property. The move was incremental, but could eventually lead to the US imposing trade sanctions.

• Tuesday, August 15th 2017 - 14:52 UTC

  UK wants to secure a post-Brexit “ambitious new customs arrangement” with the EU

  

  The UK has set out the “ambitious new customs arrangement” it wants to secure with the EU after Brexit. Ministers said the plans would mean the “freest and most frictionless possible trade” with the rest of Europe and could include a “temporary customs union” after Brexit to prevent border problems as the UK leaves the EU.

• Tuesday, August 15th 2017 - 10:56 UTC

  Canada adopts resolute stance ahead of NAFTA renegotiation scheduled for Wednesday

  

  Canada signaled Monday that it would not give much, if any, ground on the benefits it provides to domestic industries when it joins the U.S. and Mexico to begin renegotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement this week. A key issue for the U.S. is getting Canada to stop policies that boost its dairy, poultry, and timber industries.

• Tuesday, August 15th 2017 - 09:24 UTC

  Theresa May back from holidays; Brexit papers on the table in anticipation of new round of negotiations

  

  Theresa May is expected to be back in Downing Street this week as ministers prepare to flesh out their negotiating position on Brexit. The return of the Prime Minister, who has spent three weeks on holiday in Italy with her husband Philip, coincides with the publication this week of a series of new position papers on Brexit – including one on the fraught issue of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

• Monday, August 14th 2017 - 18:57 UTC

  PM May supports Falklands' self determination; calls on Argentina to meet September joint communiqué

  

  Prime Minister Theresa May reiterated the UK Government’s strong and wholehearted support for the Falkland Islands right to self-determination and underlined UK is seeking a more productive relation with Argentina but cautioned that the full potential of the relationship depends on Buenos Aires meeting the public commitments of the September 2016 joint communiqué.

• Monday, August 14th 2017 - 17:13 UTC

  Champions Feyenoord open with a win

  

  The new season in Holland opened with a major shock as 32 times champions Ajax lost 2-1 at lowly Heracles a team from Almelo on the far east side of the country. After taking the lead in the 58th minute through Hakim Ziyech it seemed as if it was then just a matter of how many goals Ajax would wish to score, but Heracles stunned the Amsterdam side by scoring twice, through Paul Gladon and Brandley Kuwas to secure a memorable victory.

• Monday, August 14th 2017 - 08:03 UTC

  UK government show of unity: Hammond and Fox share a column in the Sunday Telegraph

  

  The UK will need a transition period to help businesses adjust after Brexit, the chancellor and the international trade secretary have said. In a joint Sunday Telegraph article, Philip Hammond and Liam Fox stressed any deal would not be indefinite or a “back door” to staying in the EU.