
The Dutch government sees Brexit not as the elephant in the room but as a giant Muppet-style monster lying on a desk. That is the picture tweeted by Foreign minister Stef Blok, with the warning: make sure Brexit doesn't sit - or lie - in your way. There is a link to an official website where Dutch firms can see the potential impact of Brexit on their business.

Germany's economy just about avoided falling into recession during the final three months of last year. Europe's largest economy registered zero growth during the fourth quarter of 2018, the country's Federal Statistics Office said. That means it avoided two consecutive quarters of contraction, which is the usual definition of a recession.

Prime Minister Theresa May has suffered another Commons defeat after MPs voted down her approach to Brexit talks. MPs voted by 303 to 258 - a majority of 45 - against a motion endorsing the government's negotiating strategy.

US President Donald Trump is to declare a national emergency to fund his planned border wall with Mexico, the White House has said. He will sign a border security bill to avert a government shutdown - but also act to bypass Congress and use military funds for the wall, a statement said.

The minefields around the Falkland Islands capital, Stanley, dating back to the South Atlantic conflict, have remained largely untouched for most of nearly 35 years, due to the restrictions in place around access to the minefields. Over this time, they have become a haven for Falkland’s wildlife.

Venezuela should honour its debt obligations to Russia despite the political situation in Caracas, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Thursday. ”Russia hopes that Venezuela, even in case of a change of power in the country, will fulfil its obligations under the debt to Russia, Siluanov told reporters on the sidelines of the Russian Investment Forum in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

The impact of Brexit on the Falkland Islands has been raised in the UK’s House of Lords, with Lib Dem Lord Nigel Jones tabling questions to the Foreign Office. Lord Jones asked the government what assessment they had made of the Falklands’ EU exports, and the impact of World Trade Organization tariffs on Islands fisheries.

As advanced by Mercopress, Uruguay and Argentine presidents', Tabare Vazquez and Mauricio Macri open agenda surprise meeting was in effect to address the Venezuelan situation, particularly what has been described in Buenos Aires as the erratic accommodative stance to circumstances and environment, of the Vazquez administration.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is hoping parliament will show her some love on Valentine's Day by backing a motion reiterating its support for her Brexit strategy and rejecting amendments that would force her hand. Lawmakers in the UK will vote on May's latest motion on Thursday and could be asked to vote on five other amendments brought forward by MPs.

United States and Chinese negotiators kicked off two days of official trade talks in Beijing on Thursday as the world's top two economies try to patch up their festering economic dispute. Pressure to seal an accord ahead of a March deadline lessened before the talks as US President Donald Trump indicated on Tuesday in Washington he was open to extending a trade truce, depending on progress in Beijing.