International

• Thursday, January 5th 2017 - 09:21 UTC

  Marine Le pen calls for new French currency and pledges referendum on EU membership

  

  Front National leader Marine Le Pen has called for a new French currency and pledged to hold a referendum on the country’s membership of the European Union if she is elected French President later this year.

• Thursday, January 5th 2017 - 07:50 UTC

  Beijing's “airpocalypse” red alert for smog and yellow alert for fog

  

  On Wednesday, Beijing was under a “red alert” for smog, the highest of four levels, and a “yellow alert” for fog. Other areas, particularly in northern China were still under red alert as of Wednesday for both fog and smog. The high pollution has been going on for a number of weeks, causing flight delays, and leading to traffic bans, as part of what is called “smog season” or “airpocalypse.”

• Thursday, January 5th 2017 - 07:38 UTC

  London-Santiago direct flights inaugurated on Wednesday

  

  The new direct flight London-Santiago de Chile inaugurated on Wednesday should help increase the number of visitors from Britain and Europe, said Chilean authorities when they received the British Airways flight at the Chilean capital airport.

• Wednesday, January 4th 2017 - 11:04 UTC

  Labour too weak to win UK election, says Fabian Society; could drop to its lowest number of seats since 1935

  

  Labour is “too weak” to win a British general election alone and should consider working with rival parties, a left-of-centre think tank has said in a report. Andrew Harrop, the Fabian Society's general secretary, said there had been a “huge meltdown” of support in Scotland and cited party leader Jeremy Corbyn's unpopularity and a “muffled” approach to Brexit, as determining factors.

• Wednesday, January 4th 2017 - 09:13 UTC

  UK ambassador to EU steps down criticizing preparations for Brexit negotiations

  

  UK's ambassador to the European Union urged British colleagues in Brussels to challenge “muddled thinking and... speak truth to power” as he quit ahead of Brexit talks, according to the BBC. Writing to staff, Sir Ivan Rogers said ministers needed to hear “unvarnished” and “uncomfortable” views from Europe.

• Wednesday, January 4th 2017 - 09:02 UTC

  UK implements another phase of landing obligation to boost sustainable fishing

  

  UK Fisheries Minister George Eustice announced more actions to boost sustainable fishing, with the entry into force of the next phase of the discard ban for demersal species. This landing obligation requires fishermen to unload everything they catch, and will help to put an end to the wasteful practice of throwing dead fish back overboard.

• Wednesday, January 4th 2017 - 08:54 UTC

  Malvinas question: Macri should surround himself of prudent, skilful advisors, says ex Army chief

  

  A former Argentine Army chief and Malvinas veteran, General Martin Balza said on Tuesday that president Mauricio Macri's government must “strengthen its dissuasion and negotiation capacities” in the Malvinas Islands question, and should surround himself of prudent advisors on the matter.

• Tuesday, January 3rd 2017 - 09:24 UTC

  Argentine government apologize for forgetting the Falklands in a map of Argentina in New Year greetings

  

  The Argentine government apologized on Monday for having omitted the disputed Falkland Islands in a map of Argentina included in a New Year greetings message. “Our apologies for the mistake from the Design Department in our end of the year greetings”, twitted the Development Ministry for having not included the Malvinas Islands.

• Tuesday, January 3rd 2017 - 06:56 UTC

  New Year greetings to Falkland Islanders from Tierra del Fuego governor, “your governor”

  

  Rosana Bertone, governor of Argentina's extreme south province, officially Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands, which obviously includes the Falklands, included in her New Year greetings a message to the Islanders calling for peace and understanding leaving aside fear and mistrust.

• Tuesday, January 3rd 2017 - 06:41 UTC

  Malvinas: Argentina calls on UK for dialogue and sovereignty discussions

  

  Argentina has invited the United Kingdom to advance with the dialogue initiated last year to resume negotiations to enable in the shortest time possible, to find a peaceful and definitive solution to the sovereignty dispute over the Malvinas Islands, abiding the iterative calls from the international community, according to a release from the Argentine foreign ministry.