International

• Friday, January 17th 2020 - 13:49 UTC

  Iran wants to avoid war and promotes peace dialogue with the world

  

  Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Friday he wants to avoid war after Tehran and Washington appeared on the brink of direct military confrontation in early January for the second time in less than a year.

• Friday, January 17th 2020 - 10:33 UTC

  Vatican rejects nominee as Argentine ambassador; Fernandez meets the Pope at the end of the month

  

  The Argentine government has been forced to review the appointment of Luis Bellando as ambassador before the Vatican since his placet was not accepted by the Holy See. “The mechanics of the foreign ministry is to send first the names of diplomatic candidates since the host country must agree with the names proposed, so in this case, we will review the issue and reviews if a new consensus is needed to send another candidate as ambassador or representative to the Vatican”, cabinet chief Santiago Cafiero said.

• Friday, January 17th 2020 - 10:30 UTC

  Another victory for Trump: US Senate passes overwhelmingly the North American trade pact

  

  The US Senate on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to approve a new North American trade pact, handing President Donald Trump a second back-to-back trade win just as his impeachment trial was beginning in Washington. After a brief debate, lawmakers voted 89-10 in favor of a bill allowing the US-Mexico-Canada agreement to take effect, overhauling trade relations among the three countries.

• Thursday, January 16th 2020 - 08:59 UTC

  Ex cabinet minister proposes Gibraltar and Falklands should have elected MPs to Parliament after Brexit

  

  A former Cabinet Office minister said British overseas territories such as Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands should be able to elect MPs to Parliament after Brexit. John Penrose wants the 14 overseas territories, which include the renowned tax-havens the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands, to be able to negotiate devolution arrangements similar to that enjoyed by all four countries within the UK, and also elect MPs to Westminster.

• Thursday, January 16th 2020 - 08:55 UTC

  HMS Scott honors HMS Antelope sunk in the Falklands' Sound

  

  On a grey midsummer day in the Southern Hemisphere, the crew of HMS Scott pause for reflection over one of the Navy’s most hallowed sites. Ten meters below this spot, sitting upright, almost snapped in two, is the shattered hull of frigate HMS Antelope, torn apart by a series of explosions after bomb disposal experts triggered an unexploded device, in turn detonating the ship’s magazine.

• Thursday, January 16th 2020 - 08:54 UTC

  World stocks at record high after US and China sign a deal to defuse the trade war

  

  World stocks inched to a record high on Thursday after the United States and China signed a deal to defuse their 18-month trade war, which has weighed on global economic growth and hampered investments.

• Thursday, January 16th 2020 - 08:51 UTC

  Secret operation in Australia to save prehistoric species “dinosaur trees”

  

  A secret operation by specialist firefighters has saved the world's last stand of Wollemi Pines, a pre-historic species known as “dinosaur trees”, from Australia's unprecedented bushfires, officials said.

• Thursday, January 16th 2020 - 08:47 UTC

  Past decade the hottest on record, but higher temperatures can be expected

  

  The past decade has been the hottest on record, the UN said on Wednesday warning that the higher temperatures were expected to fuel numerous extreme weather events in 2020 and beyond.

• Wednesday, January 15th 2020 - 09:50 UTC

  Bolsonaro says documentary on the downfall of ex president Rousseff is rubbish

  

  Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday dismissed an Oscar-nominated Netflix documentary about the 2016 impeachment of leftist ex-leader Dilma Rousseff as “rubbish.”

• Wednesday, January 15th 2020 - 09:34 UTC

  Australian Open tennis qualifying disrupted by poor air quality as smoke blankets Melbourne

  

  Australian Open qualifying was disrupted for a second successive day due to poor air quality on Wednesday as smoke from bushfires continued to blanket Melbourne in an acrid haze. Organizers of the year's first Grand Slam said practice had been suspended at Melbourne Park until 11am and qualifiers would not get under way until 1pm.