International

• Wednesday, September 27th 2017 - 20:09 UTC

  UK does not support referendum being held in the Kurdish Region of Iraq

  

  The United Kingdom does not support the referendum held in the Kurdish Region of Iraq and continues to back the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq, underlined Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who insisted any referendum should be agreed with the Government of Iraq.

• Wednesday, September 27th 2017 - 19:54 UTC

  London second ranked international travel destination

  

  London has come a close second to Bangkok as a top-ranked international travel destination, according to the annual Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index released this week.

• Wednesday, September 27th 2017 - 07:39 UTC

  Germany's (neo-fascist) protest vote fuelled by extended income gap

  

  By Gwynne Dyer - Angela Merkel’s slogan in her campaign for a fourth term as Chancellor was terminally bland and smug – “For a Germany in which we live well and love living” – but it did the job, sort of. Her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is back as the largest party, so Merkel gets to form the next coalition government. But the neo-fascists are now in the Bundestag (parliament) too, for the first time since the collapse of Nazi Germany.

• Wednesday, September 27th 2017 - 07:22 UTC

  Jeremy Corbyn discards prospect of a second Brexit referendum

  

  Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has played down the prospect of the party offering a second referendum on the Brexit deal, after Mayor of London Sadiq Khan suggested it was “possible” it might be included in the next Labour manifesto. And in comments which may dismay Labour supporters of EU membership, the party leader said that he saw “positives” in Brexit.

• Wednesday, September 27th 2017 - 07:11 UTC

  EU negotiator Tusk praises PM May's more realistic tone, following Downing Street meeting

  

  The UK has abandoned the idea of having its Brexit “cake and eating it”, European Council president Donald Tusk has said. Mr. Tusk made the comments after Downing Street talks with Prime Minister Theresa May on Britain’s EU withdrawal.

• Wednesday, September 27th 2017 - 06:43 UTC

  UK Export Finance is increasing its support for British trade with Uruguay

  

  UK Export Finance (UKEF) support available for trade with Uruguay is increasing to up to £4 billion, meaning an additional £2.25 billion in support for UK companies exporting to Uruguay and for Uruguayan buyers of UK goods and services. This finance can be used to support projects across numerous sectors including infrastructure.

• Wednesday, September 27th 2017 - 06:18 UTC

  NAFTA: Trudeau predicts “tough days ahead” ahead for negotiators

  

  The top U.S. negotiator at talks to modernize the NAFTA trade pact dismissed questions about why his team had so far failed to produce specific proposals on key issues, saying “I don’t see a problem.” Officials from the United States, Mexico and Canada are in Ottawa for the third of seven planned rounds of talks.

• Tuesday, September 26th 2017 - 20:10 UTC

  Taoiseach Varadkar and Theresa May rule out a “hard border” in Ireland

  

  Brexit divorce talks have so far made insufficient progress to allow starting negotiations on a post-withdrawal trade deal, Ireland's Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said after meeting British prime minister Theresa May in Downing Street. But Mr Varadkar stressed that there was still time for the situation to be resolved before the 27 remaining EU members make a decision on the matter in October.

• Tuesday, September 26th 2017 - 18:31 UTC

  Carnival contracts the building of a new 'Queen class' cruise vessel for Cunard

  

  Carnival Corporation & plc announced that it has signed a memorandum of agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri S.p.A. to build a new cruise ship for the company’s iconic Cunard brand. The new ship for Cunard will be built at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, with an expected delivery date in 2022.

• Tuesday, September 26th 2017 - 18:17 UTC

  Labour conference forced to address Brexit to calm pro/EU MPS and ensure party unity

  

  UK Labour activists have backed a statement clarifying the party’s position on Brexit. The eleventh-hour statement was waved through by a show of hands in the main conference hall, after another day of division in the party over Britain’s EU withdrawal.