International

• Friday, October 27th 2017 - 17:13 UTC

  Catalonia and Madrid double the stakes and move into unchartered waters

  

  Spain's Senate on Friday authorized the government to apply constitutional measures to take control of the government of Catalonia. A majority of senators gave Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy the go-ahead through Article 155 of the constitution to apply unprecedented measures, including sacking Catalan regional President Carles Puigdemont and his cabinet. It also authorized him to curtail Catalan parliamentary powers.

• Friday, October 27th 2017 - 15:28 UTC

  Spain:“Article 155 will mark the beginning of the end of disobedience of the law”

  

  The Spanish Senate is poised to activate Article 155 of the country’s constitution on Friday, giving Madrid the power to take over Catalonia’s institutions and police and remove its regional leader from office.

• Friday, October 27th 2017 - 08:38 UTC

  EU confirms commitment to reach trade accord with Mercosur by end of the year

  

  European Union leaders have agreed to press ahead with Mercosur talks and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker confirmed the bloc will “continue to do everything” to conclude a deal before the end of the year. “It's important,” Mr Juncker said. “We underestimate the importance of Mercosur for the European Union.”

• Friday, October 27th 2017 - 07:57 UTC

  Some thoughts about Falklands and flying the Union Jack

  

  By John Fowler - It’s no good if the Falkland Islanders just keep on saying that they don’t want to be Argentine; you can’t define yourself in terms of a negative, you must decide what or who you want to be and proclaim it positively.”

• Thursday, October 26th 2017 - 06:55 UTC

  Merkel furious with leaks on PM May 'weakness'; EU fearful she could be replaced by Boris Johnson

  

  German Chancellor Angela Merkel was made “furious” by the leaks from Brexit talks about Theresa May as Berlin fears her leadership could come to an end if attacks against her continue. May reportedly “begged for help” according to details of a dinner between the prime minister and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker published by German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Sunday.

• Thursday, October 26th 2017 - 06:45 UTC

  Crowdfunder to recover Falklands' conflict flagship HMS Hermes

  

  HMS Hermes was laid down in 1944 and was in service with the Royal Navy between 1959 to 1984 serving as the flagship during the Falklands War in 1982. She was sold to the Indian Navy in 1987 and renamed INS Viraat.

• Thursday, October 26th 2017 - 06:04 UTC

  Bloomberg describes Brexit as the “single stupidest thing any country has ever done”

  

  Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire media mogul and former mayor of New York, has said Brexit is the “single stupidest thing any country has ever done” apart from the election of Donald Trump as US president. Bloomberg argued that “it is really hard to understand why a country that was doing so well wanted to ruin it” with the Brexit vote, in a series of outspoken remarks made at a technology conference in Boston a fortnight ago.

• Thursday, October 26th 2017 - 05:56 UTC

  Hammond “confident” despite admitting an “urgent and pressing” Brexit transition period

  

  Philip Hammond has said he is “confident” businesses will be given the Brexit certainty they need although he sidestepped calls to ensure transition principles are guaranteed by Christmas. The UK Chancellor acknowledged the principles of a transition period are “urgent and pressing”, also telling MPs the Government wants them agreed with the European Union “as soon as possible”.

• Thursday, October 26th 2017 - 05:47 UTC

  Catalonia to appeal Rajoy's measures; if not successful it will pursue the case in international courts

  

  Catalonia’s political leaders intend to bring a legal challenge to prevent the Spanish government from removing them from office and taking over running the region to stop its push for independence, a spokesman has said.

• Thursday, October 26th 2017 - 02:47 UTC

  Xi reaffirms his grip on China and his approval is an encouragement “that will spur me on.”

  

  Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday unveiled the new lineup of the ruling Communist Party highest body, whose members will rule alongside him as he embarks on a second five-year term as party leader with an agenda to spread prosperity and expand the global influence of the world's second largest economy.