International

• Friday, April 28th 2017 - 09:03 UTC

  PM May blasts Merkel and Labour on Brexit talks, and calls for unity and 'strongest possible hand'

  

  Germany's Angela Merkel comments about the UK's Brexit stance show the need for Britain to have the “strongest possible hand” in negotiations, said Prime Minister Theresa May. The PM told a rally in Leeds that 27 EU countries were “lining up to oppose” Britain while her opponents were “trying to disrupt” Brexit talks.

• Thursday, April 27th 2017 - 23:44 UTC

  Falklands airbridge working; no reply from Argentina on a second flight

  

  Falkland Islands lawmaker, MLA Mike Summers apologized on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) for the disruption that the flight diversion from Ascension Island had caused, but said he knew they were working hard to ensure proper arrangements were in place for the continuation of the air bridge with the UK.

• Thursday, April 27th 2017 - 10:54 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez invited to give a conference at Oxford University

  

  Ex president Cristina Fernandez and her daughter Florencia Kirchner, both indicted in several alleged corruption cases have been allowed to travel to Europe in May, where the Argentine leader has been invited to a round of conferences and discussions including one from the Oxford Union at Oxford University.

• Thursday, April 27th 2017 - 10:33 UTC

  Post-Brexit “clear and explicit commitments” to Gibraltar wanted from UK political parties

  

  The Gibraltar Government is calling on Britain’s political parties to make “clear and explicit commitments” to Gibraltar in their manifestos for the June 8 general election. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said his government would seek assurances on Gibraltar’s post-Brexit future from parties contesting the UK election.

• Thursday, April 27th 2017 - 09:32 UTC

  Venezuela quitting OAS; death toll of demonstrations climbs to 33

  

  Following through on its threat, Venezuela's government announced on Wednesday it is quitting the Organization of American States, accusing the regional body of meddling in its internal affairs over weeks of political unrest. The step was taken just hours after violent clashes in Caracas between security forces and protesters during yet another march against the socialist government of President Nicolas Maduro.

• Wednesday, April 26th 2017 - 11:41 UTC

  Brazil and Spain lay direct subsea cable rerouting communications to avoid US bugging

  

  The Spanish and Brazilian governments have teamed up to lay an undersea cable in the Atlantic Ocean to offer fast online and cloud services to citizens of both countries by 2019, underscoring efforts to rout communications outside North America.

• Wednesday, April 26th 2017 - 08:48 UTC

  China launches its first native totally designed and built aircraft carrier

  

  China has launched its first domestically designed and built aircraft carrier, state media said on Wednesday, as the country seeks to transform its navy into a force capable of projecting power onto the high seas. Adorned with colorful ribbons, the Type 001A ship “transferred from dry dock into the water at a launch ceremony” in the northeastern port city of Dalian, according to official broadcaster CCTV.

• Wednesday, April 26th 2017 - 08:39 UTC

  Brexit key players: Theresa May, Juncker and Barnier meet at Downing Street

  

  British Prime Minister Theresa May will on Wednesday hold talks with EU Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker and chief negotiator Michel Barnier, ahead of a summit to set the bloc's Brexit “red lines”. In the first such meeting between the three key players, they will discuss the upcoming negotiations on Britain's withdrawal from the European Union over dinner at May's Downing Street residence.

• Wednesday, April 26th 2017 - 08:20 UTC

  EU/Mercosur trade agreement “closer than ever”, says Spanish president Rajoy

  

  The European Union and South American trade bloc Mercosur should intensify talks to reach a trade agreement this year, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Tuesday, urging haste after 18 years of negotiations.

• Tuesday, April 25th 2017 - 07:19 UTC

  Marine Le Pen steps down as party leader to reach out to voters of defeated candidates

  

  Far-right French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has announced that she is stepping aside as leader of her National Front (FN) party. The move comes just a day after she reached the second round of the French election, where she will face centrist Emmanuel Macron. Ms Le Pen told French TV she needed to be above partisan considerations.