International

• Thursday, August 31st 2017 - 10:56 UTC

  Brexit dominates politics and has left England “deeply polarized”, says major report

  

  England has become more tolerant and open on the whole but Brexit has left the country “deeply polarized”, a major new report concludes. The study identifies a softening in attitudes towards immigration and finds that two-fifths of the population (39%) have liberal outlooks – compared with 22% six years ago.

• Thursday, August 31st 2017 - 10:36 UTC

  Argentina considers renting fighter aircraft from Brazil for the G20 summit in Buenos Aires

  

  Argentina will be hosting the 2018 G20 summit of world leaders and is considering renting fighter aircraft from Brazil as part of the security preparations since the country's air force is mostly grounded or with very limited interception and strike capacity, according to Argentine military sources.

• Thursday, August 31st 2017 - 08:53 UTC

  Theresa May confirms full confidence in Boris Johnson; some foreign ministers view him as a “clown”

  

  Theresa May has full confidence in Boris Johnson, Downing Street said as the Foreign Secretary came under fire from critics at home and abroad. Number 10 said the Prime Minister had a good relationship with the Foreign Secretary in response to anonymous briefings saying he was viewed as a “clown” and a “joke” in capitals around the world.

• Thursday, August 31st 2017 - 07:24 UTC

  Ecuador sentences 20 Chinese fishermen for poaching; Beijing cautious about how to react

  

  Overfishing has given rise to a diplomatic trouble between China and Ecuador. In mid-August, Ecuador detained a Chinese vessel in the Galapagos Islands and found 6.600 sharks on board. The 20 Chinese fishermen have been sentenced up to four years for illegally fishing and to pay US$ 5.9 million.

• Thursday, August 31st 2017 - 07:08 UTC

  May/Abe pledge closer security cooperation; formal trade discussions on Thursday

  

  Britain and Japan on Thursday pledged closer cooperation on defense, cyber security and counter-terrorism as Prime Minster Theresa May looks to strengthen relations with one of her closest allies ahead of Brexit. May arrived in Japan on Wednesday afternoon for a three-day visit and met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for informal talks over dinner in Kyoto. May also took part in a Japanese tea ceremony

• Wednesday, August 30th 2017 - 20:05 UTC

  British Retail warns that a 'no deal scenario' with EU means urgent updating of Customs services

  

  Brexit brings risks of food shortages if the UK does not manage to get its customs processes sorted out, the British Retail Consortium has warned, but Brexit campaigners said technology meant there would be “no need for hold-ups at borders”.

• Wednesday, August 30th 2017 - 08:14 UTC

  Euro at its strongest against the US dollar for the first time since 2015

  

  The Euro has hit US$1.20 for the first time since January 2015 as the prospect of a US interest rate rise recedes. Hurricane Harvey's impact has led analysts to assume the US central bank will not want to risk curbing economic growth and fears over North Korea's activities have unnerved investors.

• Wednesday, August 30th 2017 - 08:07 UTC

  Anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd admits defeat: “we can't match Japan's military surveillance technology”

  

  The anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd has announced it will not intercept Japanese vessels in the Southern Ocean this season. The group's ships have confronted Japanese vessels off Antarctica each year since 2005.

• Wednesday, August 30th 2017 - 07:28 UTC

  Mexico tells “twitter” Trump it will not renegotiate NAFTA via social media

  

  Mexico will not renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement or any other aspect of its relationship with the United States via social media or the press, the Mexican government declared Sunday.

• Wednesday, August 30th 2017 - 07:20 UTC

  Scotland's Labour leader resigns saying it was time “to pass on the baton”

  

  Kezia Dugdale has resigned as the leader of the Scottish Labor, claiming it was time to “pass on the baton”. Ms Dugdale insisted she had not been forced to relinquish the role, despite claims supporters of Jeremy Corbyn wanted her out.