International

• Tuesday, October 17th 2017 - 11:35 UTC

  Two Catalan independence leaders remanded and charged with sedition

  

  A Spanish judge has remanded two key members of the Catalan independence movement in jail. Jordi Sánchez, who heads the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), and Jordi Cuixart, leader of Omnium Cultural, are being held without bail while they are under investigation for sedition.

• Tuesday, October 17th 2017 - 11:23 UTC

  Political killing of investigative reporter and government critic in Malta

  

  A prominent blogger in the Republic of Malta, who had accused the island's government of corruption, has died in a car bomb attack, according to police. Daphne Caruana Galizia, 53, was reportedly killed when the car she was driving exploded shortly after she left her home in Bidnija, near Mosta.

• Monday, October 16th 2017 - 11:26 UTC

  Madrid open to dialogue but Catalonia must first reject independence: clock ticking on countdown

  

  The Spanish government will seize control of Catalonia if regional leader Carles Puigdemont gives an ambiguous reply to Madrid’s question about whether he has declared independence from Spain, the interior minister warned Saturday.

• Monday, October 16th 2017 - 11:19 UTC

  Cannabis as medicine: more research is needed says World Medical Association

  

  Legislation to allow the recreational use of cannabis has been strongly opposed on health grounds by the World Medical Association. But in a policy statement this week, the Association says that laws governing research grade cannabis should be reviewed to allow more scientific research on the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

• Sunday, October 15th 2017 - 03:47 UTC

  St Helena opens to the world with first commercial air link to South Africa

  

  Saturday 14 October marked an exciting new chapter in St Helena’s history when the first ever commercial flight from South Africa touched down at St Helena Airport at 1.59pm.

• Saturday, October 14th 2017 - 20:42 UTC

  IMF: Latin America must crack down on corruption and improve governance

  

  Latin American and Caribbean governments need to crack down on corruption in order to make their economies more durable and the benefits of growth more widespread, the International Monetary Fund said on Friday.

• Saturday, October 14th 2017 - 08:30 UTC

  Catalonia's leader under mounting pressure from separatist allies and Madrid

  

  Catalonia’s leader faced mounting pressure on Friday from all sides, with hardliners in the separatist movement demanding he declare independence from Spain once and for all. Spain’s government and the European Union, on the other hand, want him to abandon the secession plans altogether.

• Saturday, October 14th 2017 - 08:25 UTC

  EU preparing for post-Brexit trade negotiations with UK, ignoring London

  

  The EU is to begin preparing for its post-Brexit trade negotiations with the UK, while refusing to discuss the matter with the British government. An internal draft document suggests the 27 EU countries should discuss trade among themselves while officials in Brussels prepare the details. However the draft text could yet be revised.

• Saturday, October 14th 2017 - 08:16 UTC

  Japan's steel scandal of falsifying quality data has global manufacturing repercussions

  

  Japan's Kobe Steel has increased the number of firms it says have been affected by its data fabrication scandal from 200 to 500, and has also found “inappropriate actions” relating to nine more products, including falsifying data. Earlier this week, Kobe admitted falsifying quality data on some of its products for up to a decade.

• Friday, October 13th 2017 - 15:41 UTC

  Thousands rally in Barcelona: “Don't be fooled, Catalonia is Spain”

  

  Thousands of people rallied on Sunday in central Barcelona to protest against the Catalan government’s push for secession from the rest of Spain, with many in the crowd carrying Spanish and Catalan flags.