International

• Monday, March 6th 2017 - 18:45 UTC

  Fillon and Juppe confirm deep division among French conservatives

  

  Former presidential candidate Alain Juppe said on Monday he would not run again despite calls within the conservative Les Republicains party for him to replace the increasingly isolated Francois Fillon, who faces defeat over a phony jobs scandal.

• Monday, March 6th 2017 - 18:34 UTC

  Challenging path for Ulster ruling alliance, following election results

  

  The pro-British Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) managed to remain the biggest party with a single seat margin in the Northern Ireland Assembly as the Irish nationalist Sinn Fein closed in on them following March 2 election, according to the latest results announced over the weekend.

• Monday, March 6th 2017 - 17:53 UTC

  General Motors abandons Europe: sells Opel and Vauxhall to Peugeot

  

  United States General Motors is dropping its unprofitable European car business to the French maker of Peugeot, marking the American company's retreat from a major market and raising concerns of job cuts in the region.

• Monday, March 6th 2017 - 17:41 UTC

  The Economist Argentina summit: Reemerging on the global stage

  

  The Economist’s Argentina Summit taking place in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, 8th March, will bring together more than 200 government and business leaders to evaluate Argentina's progress over the last year and to discuss the country's social, political and economic future in the year ahead.

• Monday, March 6th 2017 - 10:47 UTC

  China lowers growth target to 6.5% and pledges to tackle “zombie enterprises”

  

  The Chinese growth target for this year has been cut to around 6.5%, down from 6.5 to 7% last year, Premier Li Keqiang has announced addressing the country's rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), which has gathered in Beijing for its annual session. The Chinese economy expanded at its slowest pace in 26 years in 2016.

• Monday, March 6th 2017 - 08:52 UTC

  Russia displaces Saudi Arabia as world's largest supplier of crude oil

  

  Russia has taken over from Saudi Arabia as the world’s largest supplier of crude oil, according to the Riyadh based Joint Organizations' Data Initiative. Russia pumped 10.49 million barrels a day in December, with Saudi Arabia just behind at 10.46 and the US third at 8.9 million barrels. Iraq came up in fourth place with 5 million barrels.

• Monday, March 6th 2017 - 08:43 UTC

  Theresa May sends strong warnings to Scottish government: “UK will not drift apart in post-Brexit”

  

  United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May has warned the Scottish Government that control over policy areas such as fishing and agriculture might not come to Holyrood in the wake of Brexit. PM May said while no powers will be taken away from Scottish ministers as a result of the decision to leave the European Union, responsibilities that transfer back to Britain from Brussels “must sit at the right level to ensure our United Kingdom can operate effectively”.

• Monday, March 6th 2017 - 08:33 UTC

  If no post-Brexit deal is reached, 'UK can leave without paying a penny', says Lords' report

  

  Britain can legally walk away from the European Union without paying a penny if there is no post-Brexit agreement, a House of Lords inquiry has concluded. The Lords EU Financial Affairs Sub Committee said the UK would be in a “strong” legal position if the two-year Article 50 withdrawal negotiations ended without a deal.

• Monday, March 6th 2017 - 08:19 UTC

  Chancellor warns EU that UK will “fight back” if it does not reach a Brexit deal it wants

  

  Chancellor Philip Hammond has warned the EU that Britain will “fight back” and not “slink off like a wounded animal” if it does not get the Brexit deal it wants. In some of the toughest talking yet ahead of the UK triggering the Article 50 negotiations on terms of withdrawal, the Chancellor said Britain would “do whatever we need to do” to be competitive in the event of leaving the EU without a trade agreement.

• Monday, March 6th 2017 - 06:40 UTC

  New Brazilian minister wants closer Mercosur-Pacific Alliance relations

  

  Giving new life to Mercosur and closer links with the Pacific Alliance are the main challenges of his office said Aloysio Nunes, Brazil's new foreign minister. In as brief statement in Facebook the ex senator and chair of the foreign affair committee also insists that Mercosur must open to the world and reach more agreements with other countries and trade spaces.