Politics

• Wednesday, July 1st 2020 - 08:53 UTC

  The most powerful EU member takes the rotating presidency of the block

  

  The European Union’s most powerful member, Germany, takes over the bloc’s rotating presidency as of Wednesday amid a raft of challenges — from COVID-19 and the economic devastation it has wrought, to Brexit, trade with China and tensions with the United States.

• Wednesday, July 1st 2020 - 08:33 UTC

  EU rejects British proposals “to maintain benefits of the single market without the obligations”

  

  British proposals to give the City of London access to the European Union are “unacceptable” because they seek to maintain the benefits of the single market without the obligations, the bloc’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said on Tuesday.

• Wednesday, July 1st 2020 - 08:27 UTC

  UK economy shrinks the most since 1979, as households slashed spending

  

  Britain’s economy shrank by the most since 1979 in early 2020 as households slashed their spending, according to official data that included the first few days of the coronavirus lockdown.

• Wednesday, July 1st 2020 - 08:20 UTC

  Japan aims to clinch a trade deal with Britain by end of July: auto tariffs, main interest of Tokyo

  

  Japan and Britain aim to clinch a trade deal by the end of July and Tokyo wants to secure at least the same automobile tariffs as it has in its existing European Union trade pact, Tokyo’s chief negotiator said.

• Wednesday, July 1st 2020 - 08:02 UTC

  Iran issues arrest warrant for President Trump over the killing of General Qassem Soleimani

  

  Iran has issued an arrest warrant for US President Donald Trump and 35 others over the killing of top general Qassem Soleimani and has asked Interpol for help, Tehran prosecutor Ali Alqasimehr said announced, according to the Fars news agency.

• Tuesday, June 30th 2020 - 18:04 UTC

  Uruguay in the list of 14 countries to which the Europe Union opens its borders

  

  The European Union agreed on Tuesday to reopen its borders to 14 countries excluding the virus-stricken US, as the pandemic accelerated globally with more than 505,000 deaths worldwide. Of Latin America the only country included in the list is Uruguay.

• Tuesday, June 30th 2020 - 11:03 UTC

  Argentine farmers accuse Kirchnerite goons of vandalizing silo bags

  

  Argentine farmer association CRA has expressed its concern over a recent wave of vandalism on silo bags that store grain and oilseeds on-farm.

• Tuesday, June 30th 2020 - 10:36 UTC

  Venezuela expels EU ambassador after the block imposes sanctions on eleven Maduro regime officials

  

  Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro on Monday gave the head of the European Union mission in Caracas, Isabel Brilhante Pedrosa, 72 hours to leave the country after the bloc announced sanctions against 11 Venezuelan officials.

• Tuesday, June 30th 2020 - 10:03 UTC

  WHO calls on Brazil to do more and integrate efforts at different levels of government

  

  Brazil still faces a “big challenge” to curb the coronavirus pandemic and should do more to integrate its efforts at different levels of government, a top World Health Organization official said on Monday.

• Tuesday, June 30th 2020 - 09:58 UTC

  Johnson: Coronavirus, a disaster for the UK; Labour leader Starmer: PM has been asleep on the wheel

  

  Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the coronavirus crisis had been a disaster for the United Kingdom and while the government would look at what went wrong, it was not the right time to have an inquiry into missteps.