International

Saturday, August 17th 2019 - 07:29 UTC
WTO agrees to a Beijing request for a dispute channel on solar channels and US tariffs

The World Trade Organization agreed on Thursday to China's request to create a dispute panel tasked with judging whether US tariffs on solar panels violate international trade rules. The trade restrictions were imposed by Donald Trump's administration last year, part of a raft of measures initiated by Washington that have triggered a tit-for-tat tariff war between the world's top two economies.
Saturday, August 17th 2019 - 07:00 UTC
Trump reveals “productive” trade talks with Beijing and anticipates a “fairly short war”

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that U.S. and Chinese negotiators were holding “productive” trade talks and expected them to meet in September despite U.S. tariffs on over US$125 billion worth of Chinese imports taking effect Sept 1.
Saturday, August 17th 2019 - 02:41 UTC
Global meeting to regulate trade in 18 types of shark and ray; 30 countries back proposals

Dozens of countries will push at a global meeting for regulations on trade in 18 types of shark and ray, with conservationists warning of looming extinction for many species. “Sharks and rays are pretty much unmanaged still in fisheries around the world and are disappearing before our eyes,” Luke Warwick of the Wildlife Conservation Society told reporters in Geneva.
Saturday, August 17th 2019 - 01:46 UTC
July 2019, the hottest on record, and Arctic ice shrank to its lowest, NOAA reports

July 2019 temperatures were the hottest ever recorded globally; the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said on Thursday, while satellite data showed polar ice shrank to its lowest levels.
Friday, August 16th 2019 - 08:04 UTC
Gibraltar releases Iranian super tanker hours before a US Justice detention request

The Gibraltar Government on Thursday released the Iranian supertanker Grace 1, which was seized on July 4 on suspicion it was shipping 2.1m barrels of crude oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions.
Friday, August 16th 2019 - 07:26 UTC
Norway suspends funding to curb Amazon deforestation in Brazil

Norway has suspended funding that was supporting measures to curb deforestation in Brazil after the country blocked the operations of a fund receiving the aid, the Norwegian ministry of climate and environment said on Thursday.
Friday, August 16th 2019 - 07:00 UTC
Maduro wants to resume talks with Venezuelan opposition under Norwegian mediation

Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said on Thursday the government would meet with Norwegian mediators in an effort to restart talks with the opposition aimed at resolving the country's political crisis.
Thursday, August 15th 2019 - 12:31 UTC
Trump praises Xi and says the Chinese leader can “humanely” resolve the Hong Kong situation

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Xi Jinping can “humanely” resolve the violent standoff with protesters in Hong Kong and appeared to suggest meeting the Chinese leader.
Thursday, August 15th 2019 - 12:15 UTC
Global food commodity prices saw a slight decline in July

The FAO's Food Price Index, (FPI) - a trade-weighted index that measures prices of five major food commodities on international markets - averaged 170.9 points in July 2019, slipping 1.1 percent below its level in June but up 2.3 percent from a year earlier.
Thursday, August 15th 2019 - 06:54 UTC
Commemorations for the 50th anniversary of operations in Northern Ireland

To mark the 50th anniversary of the start of Operation Banner in Northern Ireland, commemorations were held on Wednesday at the Arboretum in Staffordshire. Op Banner lasted almost 38 years between 14 August 1969 and 31 Jul 2007 - more than 300,000 members of the UK Armed Forces were deployed in this time. Some 1,441 serving personnel died on deployment or in related paramilitary acts.