International

• Tuesday, December 27th 2016 - 07:53 UTC

  Tension mounts as strong Chinese fleet of aircraft carrier and navy vessels spotted south of Taiwan

  

  What China's Defense Ministry deemed as “routine exercises,” was cause for grave concern among Taiwanese authorities as a strong Chinese fleet led by the Soviet-built Liaoning aircraft carrier escorted by five other warships entered the top half of the South China Sea on Monday passing southeast of the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands.

• Monday, December 26th 2016 - 04:24 UTC

  Israel summons ambassadors from UN Security Council member states (not US) over Friday's resolution

  

  Israel's Foreign Ministry on Sunday announced it was summoning ambassadors from the United Nations' Security Council member states, ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said. He added that the 14 envoys are to visit the ministry in Jerusalem on Monday. The representative of the United States' was not on the “guest” list.

• Monday, December 26th 2016 - 02:43 UTC

  Military transport Russian airplane enroute to Syria crashes into Black Sea shortly after takeoff

  

  A Russian Air Force 33-year-old Tupolev 154-B military transport airplane Sunday crashed into the Black Sea shortly after taking off from Adler airport on its way to Syria, killing all 92 occupants onboard, it was announced. The aircraft had begun its journey in Moscow and stopped to refuel at Adler, near the city of Sochi. The pilot made no emergency call and the weather was good, Adler sources indicated.

• Saturday, December 24th 2016 - 18:59 UTC

  Khaddafi followers hijack Lybian airliner, divert it to Malta and surrender

  

  Using fake guns, two men Friday hijacked an Afriqiyah Airways flight on service from Libya’s southwestern city of Sabha to the capital, Tripoli with 111 passengers (82 men, 28 women and a child) and seven crew members on board., and forced it to fly to Malta, where they surrendered after four hours of negotiations.

• Saturday, December 24th 2016 - 18:30 UTC

  Merkel now wants immigration less easy following Berlin's terrorist attack

  

  Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday vowed to reinforce immigration controls and security natiowide following a terrorist attack at a Christmas market in Berlin that left 12 people dead, for which ISIS has claimed responsibility.

• Saturday, December 24th 2016 - 17:50 UTC

  UK and Brazil agree on a Business Dialogue to address commercial and political issues

  

  The United Kingdom and Brazil announced the creation of the Anglo-Brazilian Business Dialogue, which aims to establish a bilateral business dialogue to address commercial and political issues affecting UK and Brazilian companies in their respective markets and to refer them to the upper echelons of both governments. This was achieved during the recent visit to Brazil of Liam Fox, British Secretary of State for International Trade

• Friday, December 23rd 2016 - 15:23 UTC

  Anis Amri shot dead by Italian police

  

  The Tunisian suspect who quickly became Europe's most wanted alleged criminal for his involvement in Monday's lorry jihadist attack against a Christmas market in Berlin, was killed Friday in a shootout with the police in Milan, the Italian interior minister has confirmed.

• Friday, December 23rd 2016 - 05:24 UTC

  Aleppo under total Syrian control

  

  The last buses that took part in the evacuation of residents from eastern Aleppo finally left the city late on Thursday night after long delays due to extremely cold weather, as Syria's industrial capital was completely in the hands of President Bashar al-Assad's forces for the first time since 2012, it was reported.

• Friday, December 23rd 2016 - 04:50 UTC

  Known Tunisian jihadist main suspect in Berlin lorry attack

  

  After it became clear that the main suspect of driving the lorry that killed 11 people Monday in a Christmas market in Berlin was a 24-year-old Tunisian with a criminal record as a jihadist, Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her hopes that the alleged perpetrator, currently at large, is brought to justice as soon as possible.

• Friday, December 23rd 2016 - 03:20 UTC

  UK resolutely committed to Falklands' self determination; better relations with Argentina is in everyone's interests

  

  The United Kingdom is resolutely committed to the Islanders right to self determination assured the Prime Minister Theresa May in her Christmas message to the Falklands. Mrs. May also pointed out that a better relationship with Argentina is in everyone’s interests, and in time, this should reap the rewards through benefits to the Islands' economy, improving trade and tourism, and developing the hydrocarbons and fisheries industries.<br /><br />
  The full message from Mrs. May published in this week's Penguin News, follows: