Politics

• Sunday, August 6th 2017 - 00:10 UTC

  Maduro's assembly sacks dissident attorney general; next target elected members of the Legislative

  

  The newly installed constitutional assembly ousted Venezuela's defiant chief prosecutor on Saturday, a sign that President Nicolas Maduro's embattled government intends to move swiftly against critics and consolidate power amid a fast-moving political crisis.

• Saturday, August 5th 2017 - 11:49 UTC

  Brexit will happen despite the “density of problems” says Juncker

  

  Brexit will still happen despite the UK becoming more aware of the “density of problems” during withdrawal negotiations, Jean-Claude Juncker has said. The European Commission president indicated he disagreed with the Maltese prime minister Joseph Muscat, who reportedly said last week he saw “hopeful signs” that “Brexit will not happen”.

• Saturday, August 5th 2017 - 08:21 UTC

  Ireland calls for “unique solutions” to preserve UK/EU relations after Brexit

  

  Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has called for “unique solutions” to preserve the relationship between the UK and the European Union after Brexit. On his first official visit to Northern Ireland, he raised the possibility of a bilateral UK-EU customs union, and described Brexit as “the challenge of this generation”.

• Saturday, August 5th 2017 - 07:55 UTC

  Mercosur foreign ministers will discuss the Venezuela situation in Brazil

  

  Mercosur foreign ministers are scheduled to meet this Saturday in Sao Paulo to decide on to how to address latest events in Venezuela, the fifth member of the group which remains suspended, and so far has not replied to calls to cancel the constituent assembly procedure and attempt some form of dialogue with the political opposition.

• Saturday, August 5th 2017 - 06:54 UTC

  Standard Chartered moves European base to Frankfurt because of Brexit

  

  Standard Chartered is set to spend about US$20m to turn its Frankfurt office into a European base due to Brexit. The bank plans to create a subsidiary at its German branch to maintain access to the European market after Britain withdraws from the European Union.

• Friday, August 4th 2017 - 08:35 UTC

  Brexit uncertainty pounding the economy says Bank of England governor

  

  The governor of the Bank of England has warned that uncertainty over Brexit is already weighing on the economy. Mark Carney's comments came as the Bank voted to hold rates and cut growth forecasts. It edged this year's growth forecast down to 1.7% from its previous forecast of 1.9% made in May and also cut the forecast for 2018 from 1.7% to 1.6%.

• Friday, August 4th 2017 - 08:09 UTC

  Temer expected to retake reforms agenda with Congress, but how strong is he?

  

  Brazil's Congress is expected to reopen the door for a modest pension overhaul as soon as October, lawmakers said before returning to normal business on Thursday following a vote to block a corruption trial against President Michel Temer. Still, legislators warned that Temer must spend some of his newfound political capital either on measures raising tax revenue or a new, less ambitious 2017 budget target.

• Friday, August 4th 2017 - 07:45 UTC

  British Labour party divided on support for Venezuela's Maduro regime

  

  Labour MP close to Jeremy Corbyn has criticized the US's decision to impose sanctions on the Venezuelan president. Chris Williamson said it would be “better to facilitate talks” between the government and opposition amid ongoing political unrest and violence.

• Friday, August 4th 2017 - 07:26 UTC

  Ecuadorean vice president stripped of his authority over corruption allegations

  

  Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno stripped his vice president of his authority Thursday over corruption allegations that emerged amid a battle for power within their ruling leftist coalition. In a signed decree, Moreno said he was withdrawing all the tasks that had been assigned to Vice President Jorge Glas since both took office in May, which included overseeing a production council and earthquake reconstruction.

• Friday, August 4th 2017 - 07:08 UTC

  Venezuela diverting oil to Russia's Rosneft, ignoring contracts in the US

  

  Venezuela's state-run PDVSA has reduced crude sales to its U.S. refining unit Citgo Petroleum while increasing supply to Russia's Rosneft, following a plan signed in May to catch up on overdue deliveries, according to PDVSA documents, sources from the company and its joint ventures.