International

• Wednesday, December 28th 2016 - 21:16 UTC

  “Real opportunities” from Brexit forecasts ex Bank of England governor

  

  Lord King, the former governor of the Bank of England, has said that the UK should be “self-confident” about leaving the European Union since there were “real opportunities” for economic reform and new trade deals which meant Brexit could be a success. He highlighted agricultural reform and a developing relationship with the Republic of Ireland as areas where the UK could be positive.

• Wednesday, December 28th 2016 - 19:26 UTC

  “Queen backs Brexit”, no longer a controversy according to BBC political editor

  

  The BBC’s political editor has said she was told that the Queen supported EU withdrawal, but did not report it as she could not find a second source. Laura Kuenssberg said she was told about the alleged comment months before the eventual appearance of The Sun’s “Queen backs Brexit” headline in March.

• Wednesday, December 28th 2016 - 06:28 UTC

  False alarm leads to evacuation of NY's Trump Tower - child left a bag of toys behind

  

  The notorious Trump Tower building in New York was evacuated at around 4.30 pm Tuesday due to fears caused by a strange package which turned out to be a backpack full of toys a little kid left behind, authorities said.

• Wednesday, December 28th 2016 - 04:00 UTC

  Iran wants stronger maritime capabilities, including an aircraft carrier

  

  Iran's Deputy Navy Commander for Coordination, Admiral Peiman Jafari Tehrani, admitted his country needs better military equipment, including but not limited to the bulding of a new aircraft carrier, as cited by semi-official Fars news agency. Iran's fleet regularly escorts from the threat of modern age pirates ships, particularly oil tankers, from the Persian Gulf all the way down to South Africa and the Atlantic Ocean.

• Tuesday, December 27th 2016 - 09:03 UTC

  Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse reach payment deals with US authorities on sub-prime scams

  

  Germany's Deutsche Bank announced it has agreed a US$7.2bn payment to US authorities over an investigation into mortgage-backed securities. The sum, which needs final approval, is far lower than the US$14bn the US had asked the bank to pay in September. The looming fine had caused concerns that a failure of the bank could pose a risk to the global financial system.

• Tuesday, December 27th 2016 - 08:56 UTC

  Only 7.100 cheetahs left in the world, fears of quick extinction

  

  The sleek, speedy cheetah is rapidly heading towards extinction according to a new study into declining numbers. The report estimates that there are just 7,100 of the world's fastest mammals now left in the wild.

• Tuesday, December 27th 2016 - 08:41 UTC

  Iranian currency on freefall as Trump's inauguration approaches

  

  Iran's monetary unit, the rial, reached a new low against the U.S. dollar on Monday in what was perceived as a sign of doubt about the country's future following the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump on January 20. Presidential elections in Iran next year also played a part.

• 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.