International

• Thursday, May 11th 2017 - 12:25 UTC

  Australian conservative government to raise taxes on five biggest banks

  

  Australian Treasurer Scott Morrison has unveiled a new budget which includes a surprise rise in taxation for the country's five biggest banks from July. Morrison also announced education savings which will see students pay a greater share of the cost of degrees, while infrastructure projects, health and housing affordability were also high on the government's agenda.

• Thursday, May 11th 2017 - 10:17 UTC

  Milestone ruling in Europe: parents of EU children have the right to residence

  

  Non-EU citizens may have the right to residence in the EU if their children are EU citizens, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled. The case refers to a woman from Venezuela who had a child with a Dutch citizen from whom she has since legally separated. She was denied social welfare and child benefit payments by Dutch authorities.

• Thursday, May 11th 2017 - 09:56 UTC

  Gibraltar preparing for a hard Brexit; expects new opportunities for financial services

  

  Gibraltar is preparing for a hard Brexit but expects new opportunities for its financial services sector despite the challenges ahead, Finance Centre Director James Tipping told a European Parliament committee in Brussels. Mr Tipping told the parliament’s Committee of Inquiry into Money Laundering, Tax Avoidance and Tax Evasion that Gibraltar’s finance centre was “small by European standards” but crucial to Gibraltar’s economy.

• Wednesday, May 10th 2017 - 08:06 UTC

  Germany optimistic about “a friendly and sensible political agreement” over Gibraltar

  

  The German Government believes Brexit offers “a possibly historic opportunity” for the UK and Spain to reach “a friendly and sensible” political agreement over Gibraltar’s legal status, according to Spanish press reports.

• Wednesday, May 10th 2017 - 06:27 UTC

  South Korean elects human rights lawyer as president; pledges to increase contacts with Pyongyang

  

  The newly elected president of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, is due to be sworn in after a decisive election victory. The 64-year-old human rights lawyer, known for his liberal views, has vowed to unify a divided country.

• Wednesday, May 10th 2017 - 05:39 UTC

  Galicia will receive Euro 100 million to promote the seafood canning industry

  

  The president of the Government of the Spanish region of Galicia, Alberto Núñez Feijoo, announced a strategic plan for the canning industry that will consolidate the sector in the gourmet markets and maintain Galicia as world leader in the field.

• Wednesday, May 10th 2017 - 05:28 UTC

  Qatar Airways, the FIFA official airline through the year 2022

  

  A new partnership between FIFA and the Qatar state-run airlines was announced. As part of the agreement Qatar Airways will be an Official Partner and the Official Airline for the world soccer body. The 2017 and 2021 Confederation Cups and the 2018 and 2022 World Cups are included in the partnership. The 2022 World Cup will be hosted by Qatar.

• Tuesday, May 9th 2017 - 07:57 UTC

  Macri receives Italian president to boost “unique” links and EU/Mercosur talks

  

  President Mauricio Macri met on Monday midday with his Italian counterpart, Sergio Mattarella, who is in Buenos Aires on the first official visit by an Italian president to Argentina in 16 years. The two leaders underlined the unique links between Italy and Argentina and announced the re-launching of diplomatic and trade relations.

• Tuesday, May 9th 2017 - 07:41 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez meets Greek leaders, cuts short European tour: no Oxford visit

  

  Argentine ex president Cristina Fernandez met on Monday with Greek parliament speaker Nikos Voutsis and Prime minister Alexis Tsipras, as part of the first leg of her trip to Europe where she travelled following authorization from magistrates, and depositing a significant bail, since she has been indicted in several cases.

• Tuesday, May 9th 2017 - 07:04 UTC

  Mercosur and Japan resume talks on trade and investment opportunities

  

  Mercosur and Japan resumed trade negotiations and exchanged data on the state of their respective agendas regarding the IV chapter of the bilateral dialogue. and reaffirmed their commitment to continue with the talks. The delegations met in Buenos Aires at the foreign ministry, chaired by Argentina which currently holds the pro tempore chair of Mercosur.