Politics

• Saturday, January 13th 2018 - 07:31 UTC

  Trump cancels February visit to UK; Downing Street says invitation stands

  

  Donald Trump has cancelled a planned visit to the UK in February, where he had been expected to open a new US$1bn (£738m) US embassy in London. The US president tweeted he was not a “big fan” of the new embassy - which is moving from Mayfair to south London.

• Friday, January 12th 2018 - 10:58 UTC

  S&P downgrades Brazil's credit rating; delay of pension system reform takes the blame

  

  Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s cut Brazil’s credit rating further below investment grade on Thursday as doubts grew about a presidential election in October and a push to trim its costly pension system, seen as vital to closing a huge fiscal deficit. S&P lowered its long-term rating for Brazil sovereign debt to BB- from BB previously, with a stable outlook, citing less timely and effective policymaking. S&P also cited a risk of greater policy uncertainty after this year’s elections.

• Friday, January 12th 2018 - 10:36 UTC

  Farage willing to a second referendum to end anti-Brexit “whinging and whining”

  

  Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage says he is close to backing a second EU referendum to end the “whinging and whining” of anti-Brexit campaigners. Mr Farage told Channel 5's The Wright Stuff a fresh vote could “kill off” the Remain campaign for a generation.

• Friday, January 12th 2018 - 10:16 UTC

  Foreign Office rejects Ecuadorean diplomatic status for Wikileaks Julian Assange

  

  The British Foreign Office rejected an Ecuadorian government request to grant the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange diplomatic status in a bid to bring to an end his forced stay in the South American country’s London embassy.

• Friday, January 12th 2018 - 09:34 UTC

  Typical Trump: announcement he will attend Davos forum triggers controversy

  

  The announcement that US President Trump is to visit Switzerland later this month to attend the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, has prompted mixed reactions. While a spokesman for the Swiss government said it was “delighted” that President Trump was coming to the mountain resort of Davos, centre-left politicians have made their displeasure clear.

• Friday, January 12th 2018 - 07:18 UTC

  Falklands concern with vast fishing fleet gathering on high seas

  

  A vast fleet of fishing vessels assembling to catch Illex squid on the high seas, some 400 miles north of the Falkland Islands, is an issue of concern to the Falkland Islands Fisheries Department.

• Thursday, January 11th 2018 - 12:10 UTC

  Constitutionalist murdered in Venezuela, Government denounces “Political murder”

  

  The deputy of the pro-government National Constituent Assembly, Tomás Lucena, was killed on Wednesday afternoon in Trujillo state, in western Venezuela when he was intercepted by two suspects on motorcycles and wounded with several bullets, according to witnesses. The government rates the crime of revenge.

• Thursday, January 11th 2018 - 10:19 UTC

  Brazil looks into the past to implement legislation punishing political “fake news”

  

  Brazil is the latest country to unveil plans to censor the Internet, following in the footsteps of Germany, France, and other European countries. Earlier this week the country’s official Twitter account for the Federal Police, (equivalent to FBI), announced efforts to “punish” anyone who disseminates political content it deems “false.” The federal government of Brazil is extending its ability to enforce regulation and control of its sector of the Internet.

• Thursday, January 11th 2018 - 09:48 UTC

  Canada accuses US of breaking international trade rules; files complaint with WTO

  

  Canada has filed an expansive complaint with the World Trade Organization accusing the US of breaking international trade rules. The complaint challenges the ways that the US investigates products for subsidies and below-cost sales. As expected the US called the claims “unfounded”.

• Thursday, January 11th 2018 - 09:34 UTC

  UK charm offensive in Germany to lobby for London's post Brexit financial services

  

  The German government on Wednesday sought to pour cold water over Britain's hopes of a bespoke post-Brexit arrangement for financial services. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman told reporters that Berlin's focus would remain on preserving a unified stance among the 27 EU nations as Brexit negotiations prepare to enter a critical phase. Britain's financial services industry is expected to be one the main battlegrounds in the next stage of talks.