Politics

• Wednesday, December 20th 2017 - 09:30 UTC

  EU support for Falklands at the UN in doubt, warns ex UK ambassador

  

  The European Union will refuse to back Britain in United Nations votes over the Falkland Islands after Brexit, a former ambassador has suggested. Other countries regarded the UK’s loss of influence since the Leave vote “as a shark would regard blood in the water”, Lord Hannay told a parliamentary inquiry.

• Wednesday, December 20th 2017 - 08:48 UTC

  Protecting UK (and Falklands) fisheries in a post Brexit scenario

  

  In the midst of the Brexit debate in the UK, and its expected consequences, Environment Secretary Michael Gove has anticipated EU fishing quotas referred to UK will be scrapped and if things go as planned by the cabinet member, French, Spanish, Danish and other nations fishing fleets will be chased form illegally fishing in UK waters.

• Wednesday, December 20th 2017 - 08:45 UTC

  Shame on you Argentina

  

  A heartbreaking photo of a tiny indigenous girl drinking from a filthy puddle in the blistering sun has prompted soul searching across Argentina and the wider Spanish-speaking world. The toddler, from the Mbya Guarani people who live across Brazil and Argentina, was reported to be begging for money with other children in the city of Posadas.

• Wednesday, December 20th 2017 - 08:37 UTC

  Despite the violence and protests, Argentina's pension reform bill is passed

  

  Argentina’s president defended a pension reform bill approved by Congress in the early hours of Tuesday that has prompted violent protests and a general strike, saying it seeks only to benefit retirees. The measure passed in the lower house by a 127-117 vote after more than 12 hours of debate, much of which came as demonstrators clashed with police outside the chamber.

• Tuesday, December 19th 2017 - 12:50 UTC

  Second chapter of Buenos Aires battle over pension overhaul; 24 hour general strike

  

  Police and protesters clashed on Monday outside Argentina’s Congress as lawmakers debated a proposed pension overhaul that has angered retirees and prompted union leaders to wage a general strike.

• Tuesday, December 19th 2017 - 12:48 UTC

  May admits that during the Brexit transition period, UK would still be bound by EU rules

  

  Theresa May has acknowledged that Britain will be unable to implement any new trade deals during a Brexit transition phase, telling MPs that although the country would have left the customs union it would still be bound by its rules.

• Tuesday, December 19th 2017 - 12:28 UTC

  Hard Brexit, soft Brexit, and the Irish question

  

  By Gwynne Dyer - Politicians never lie. Well, hardly ever. They're not into full disclosure, as a rule, but they know that if you lie, sooner or later you will be caught out, and then you are in deep trouble. So just change the subject, or answer a different question than the one you were asked, or just keep talking but saying nothing until everybody gets bored and moves on.

• Tuesday, December 19th 2017 - 12:06 UTC

  Any UK/EU trade agreement will not include financial services, warns Barnier

  

  The European Union has dashed the British government's hopes of carving out a special arrangement to allow City firms to trade freely in the EU if Britain leaves the single market. Michel Barnier, the European Commission's chief Brexit negotiator, said he was not open to a free trade agreement including financial services.

• Tuesday, December 19th 2017 - 11:59 UTC

  Odebrecht family leaders will step down from the scandal plagued conglomerate

  

  Emílio Odebrecht will resign as chairman of the board of the scandal-plagued Brazilian engineering conglomerate Odebrecht SA in the first half of next year, newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo reported. Emilio Odebrecht is one of 77 executives of the engineering conglomerate to sign a plea deal.

• Tuesday, December 19th 2017 - 11:48 UTC

  Royal Navy's largest ever vessel leaks: some 200 liters of water per hour

  

  The Royal Navy's new multi-billion pound aircraft carrier has a leak so big that hundreds of liters of seawater pour into it each hour which could cost millions to fix. HMS Queen Elizabeth reportedly has a major defect with the stern seal which surrounds its huge propeller shafts.