Politics

• Wednesday, May 30th 2018 - 08:58 UTC

  Truckers union calls an end to the crippling strike, but some still resist

  

  One of the main unions behind a crippling truckers' strike in Latin America's largest nation on Tuesday called on its members to return to work, warning that failing to do so would erode hard-won gains.

• Wednesday, May 30th 2018 - 08:52 UTC

  Falkland Islands elected government establishes new portfolio system

  

  Members of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly recently reviewed the portfolio system, having now been in post for six months. The resulting changes are designed to provide greater clarity in the detail of each portfolio, as well as to ensure equity for each portfolio holder.

• Wednesday, May 30th 2018 - 08:51 UTC

  The City has “huge concern” over the Brexit political debate: “services sector forgotten”

  

  The City has “huge concern” over the Brexit political debate being dominated by tariffs and goods rather than the UK’s majority services sector, a shadow minister has said. Labor’s Jonathan Reynolds said that any deal which does not cover services “is clearly a very bad deal for the UK”, noting that there was a “fairly hard ball position being played by the EU”.

• Tuesday, May 29th 2018 - 09:04 UTC

  Nicola Sturgeon in Brussels raised Scottish concerns over Brexit

  

  Nicola Sturgeon has raised Scottish concerns over Brexit in a meeting with chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier. The first minister said they held a “constructive and positive discussion” during her trip to Brussels. She said she told Mr Barnier that the Scottish government believed the UK should remain within the customs union and single market after leaving the EU.

• Tuesday, May 29th 2018 - 09:01 UTC

  Impersonation of Mao Zedong sparks uproar on Chinese social media

  

  A publicity stunt at a conference about blockchain technology in China, which saw an actor impersonate Mao Zedong, has sparked uproar on social media. Xu Guoxiang imitated Mao - by wearing a grey suit and speaking in his Hunan accent - at the Boao Blockchain Forum for Asia in Hainan Province.

• Tuesday, May 29th 2018 - 08:51 UTC

  Ireland's abortion vote adds to PM May woes and strains relations with Ulster coalition ally

  

  Britain's leaders are facing increasing calls to take action to loosen abortion restrictions in Northern Ireland after the Republic of Ireland's landmark referendum in favor of doing so, but complex political realities may make quick action difficult.

• Tuesday, May 29th 2018 - 08:48 UTC

  Brazilian cocktail: Wall Street, oil prices, truckers strike and a weak government

  

  A nationwide protest by Brazilian truckers was slow to unwind on Monday, even after the week-long demonstrations against diesel price hikes got the government to cave to their demands, causing stocks and the currency to slide.

• Tuesday, May 29th 2018 - 08:47 UTC

  Bolivia's president Evo Morales faces increasing students and opposition unrest

  

  Thousands of protesters took to the streets of several cities across Bolivia on Monday to demand justice after a university student was killed during a demonstration last week. Some of the protesters clashed with police in the central city of Cochabamba. Authorities did not immediately report injuries or arrests.

• Tuesday, May 29th 2018 - 08:18 UTC

  Political storm in Spain: congress will subject PM Rajoy to a no confidence vote this week

  

  Spanish lawmakers have agreed to subject Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to a vote of no confidence this week. It comes in the wake of graft convictions of businesspeople and officials tied to his conservative Popular Party (PP).

• Tuesday, May 29th 2018 - 08:11 UTC

  Italy's Mattarella appoints ex IMF interim prime minister and quells the situation... for now

  

  Italy's president set the country on a path back to fresh elections on Monday, appointing a former International Monetary Fund official as interim prime minister with the task of planning for snap polls and to pass the next budget. The decision to appoint Carlo Cottarelli to form a stopgap administration sets the stage for elections that are likely to be fought over Italy's role in the European Union and the euro zone, a prospect that is rattling global financial markets.