International

• Friday, December 20th 2019 - 09:36 UTC

  Museum dedicated to Diego Maradona and his golden age in Napoli

  

  For some Diego Maradona is the greatest footballer of the 20th century, for others - mainly English - he is the cheating possessor of the hand of God. In Italy, however, he is and always will be the patron saint of Naples.

• Friday, December 20th 2019 - 09:30 UTC

  Japan boosts defense budget spending for eighth straight year

  

  Japan's government on Friday approved an eighth straight annual increase in defense spending to a record high as it buys US-made stealth fighters, interceptor missiles and other equipment to counter military build-ups by North Korea and China.

• Thursday, December 19th 2019 - 09:56 UTC

  Falklands/Taiwan/UK companies team up to survey jiggers and improve safety conditions

  

  Falklands' Fortuna Group and their Taiwanese partners Go-Rising have teamed up with the UK naval architect firm Marine Design International to embark on an ambitious vessel survey and improvement program. Over a period the team surveyed 29 jigger fishing vessels in their home port of Kaohsiung, completing the survey last week.

• Thursday, December 19th 2019 - 09:50 UTC

  Discovery of 500-year old anchors could give further insight to Spanish conquest of Mexico

  

  Two 500-year-old iron ship anchors have been discovered on Mexico's Gulf Coast, potentially offering an insight into the Spanish invasion. Archaeologists say they may have belonged to the fleet led by Spain's Hernán Cortés, who conquered the Aztec empire in the 16th Century.

• Thursday, December 19th 2019 - 09:22 UTC

  Barcelona-Real Madrid derby turns into world stage for Catalans demanding independence

  

  Protesters have clashed with police outside a Barcelona and Real Madrid football match at Nou Camp in Spain. Thousands of fans inside the stadium held up banners urging the Spanish government to “sit and talk” with those demanding Catalan independence.

• Thursday, December 19th 2019 - 09:19 UTC

  Australia's inferno as heat wave worsens with temperatures of 46C

  

  While Prime Minister Scott Morrison is overseas on vacation, Australia this week experienced its hottest day on record and the heat-wave is expected to worsen, exacerbating an already unprecedented bushfire season, authorities said on Wednesday.

• Thursday, December 19th 2019 - 09:10 UTC

  Tony Blair blasts Corbyn for Labour’s catastrophic defeat

  

  Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Labour's most successful election winner, will tell the opposition party it must change course after its catastrophic defeat last week or disappear as a party of government.

• Thursday, December 19th 2019 - 09:10 UTC

  Queen opens Parliament and will announce the Conservative government agenda

  

  The Queen is to set out the Conservative government's agenda for the year ahead following their decisive election win last week. Legislation to take the UK out of the EU on 31 January will be among more than 20 bills announced during Thursday's State Opening of Parliament. Other measures include guarantees on extra health service funding and longer sentences for violent criminals.

• Thursday, December 19th 2019 - 09:06 UTC

  UK's fishermen 2020 cod quotas halved: ”extremely challenging year”

  

  The number of cod which can be legally caught by the UK's fishermen will be halved next year. It was agreed in the early hours of Wednesday at Brussels talks on fishing quotas for 2020.

• Thursday, December 19th 2019 - 09:02 UTC

  Fiat/Chrysler and Peugeot's PSA confirm merger creating world's fourth largest carmaker

  

  Fiat Chrysler and rival PSA Group, owner of Peugeot and Vauxhall, have confirmed a US$ 50bn merger deal. The merger is aiming for annual cost savings of US$ 4bn through shared purchasing agreements and combined technologies, will create the world's fourth-largest carmaker.