Politics

• Saturday, February 16th 2019 - 11:10 UTC

  Brexit has cost UK economy some £80 billion since the 2016 vote, says BoE policymaker

  

  Brexit has cost the British economy at least £80 billion since the referendum and the shock of a no-deal divorce could see interest rates slashed, according to a Bank of England policymaker. Gertjan Vlieghe, an external member of the central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee, said that, since the June 2016 vote, 2% has been shaved off GDP.

• Saturday, February 16th 2019 - 11:06 UTC

  UK retired diplomats call on PM May to delay Brexit or a second referendum

  

  A group of retired diplomats have issued a plea to Theresa May to delay Brexit to allow more time to establish a clearer plan or allow for a second referendum. In a statement to The Times, more than 40 former ambassadors and Foreign Office mandarins warned that if the Prime Minister secured agreement on her plan, it would not mark the end of uncertainty but the start of years of negotiations.

• Saturday, February 16th 2019 - 10:59 UTC

  US/Mexico Trump challenges Congress and declares a national emergency

  

  President Donald Trump on Friday declared a national emergency in a bid to fund his promised wall at the U.S.-Mexico border without congressional approval, an action Democrats vowed to challenge as a violation of the U.S. Constitution.

• Saturday, February 16th 2019 - 10:46 UTC

  Theresa May sticks to her Brexit strategy despite Tories row and Commons defeat

  

  British Prime Minister Theresa May is sticking to her Brexit strategy, despite her party rowing in the wake of her latest Commons defeat. MPs rejected a motion endorsing her approach by 303 to 258, with 66 Tory MPs abstaining, leading one minister to accuse Brexiteer rebels of “treachery”.

• Saturday, February 16th 2019 - 10:37 UTC

  Prince Charles will make an official visit to Cuba in March, as part of a Caribbean tour

  

  Prince Charles will make the first-ever official British royal visit to Cuba in March, his office announced on Friday, to mark improving ties between the two nations. The heir to the throne and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, will make a four-day visit to Cuba during a wider tour of the Caribbean, his Clarence House official residence said.

• Saturday, February 16th 2019 - 10:26 UTC

  Brazil arrests eight officials from mining giant Vale over the dam collapse

  

  Brazilian authorities arrested eight employees of mining giant Vale on Friday over a dam collapse at one of its mines three weeks ago that killed at least 166 people and left 147 missing, presumed dead.

• Saturday, February 16th 2019 - 07:32 UTC

  Falklands has offered 105 licenses for the new Illex squid season

  

  The Illex squid fishery season starts on February 14 and 105 licenses have been offered confirmed Director of Natural Resources John Barton. He added: “Not all vessels which applied received licenses. The number of licenses offered is the same as the last few years.”

• Friday, February 15th 2019 - 11:59 UTC

  Falklands makes public AAIB investigation into Islander VP-FBM incident

  

  The Falkland Islands government has made public the release from the UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch referred to an incident involving one of the Islands Air Service Islander, during a regular landing last June.

• Friday, February 15th 2019 - 10:58 UTC

  Chile joins Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay in bid to host the 2030 World Cup

  

  Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay are to submit a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup, Chile's President Sebastian Piñera announced on Thursday. Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay had already submitted a joint bid to host the centenary edition of football's most prestigious tournament, but Piñera said on Twitter that those countries' presidents had agreed to Chile's participation in the “joint candidacy”.

• Friday, February 15th 2019 - 10:03 UTC

  “Call the kids to work for a unified government”, Brazilian vice-president tells president Jair Bolsonaro

  

  Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourao said on Thursday that the president will have to rein in his sons after one of them called a minister a liar on social media, exacerbating tensions in a new government dealing with its first big cabinet scandal.