Politics

• Tuesday, January 16th 2018 - 10:09 UTC

  Vatican protocol message to President Macri when Pope overflew Argentina

  

  While overflying Argentine territory on Monday, in his trip to Chile for a three-day visit, Pope Francis sent his “warm greetings” to President Mauricio Macri and called on his fellow Argentines not to forget to pray for him, in his twenty second apostolic trip, which also includes Peru.

• Tuesday, January 16th 2018 - 10:04 UTC

  Scotland reveals impact on its economy of UK leaving the European Union

  

  Scotland's economy would be £12.7bn a year worse off under a so-called hard Brexit, according to analysis by the Scottish government. The figure is contained in a paper on the impact of UK withdrawal from the European Union. It calculates the cost to Scotland of the UK leaving the single market with or without a trade deal.

• Tuesday, January 16th 2018 - 09:52 UTC

  Support for Lula's presidential bid despite his corruption conviction

  

  Four South American ex-presidents are among more than 170,000 people who signed a petition supporting former president Lula da Silva bid for another term as Brazil's president, despite his corruption conviction. US film-maker Oliver Stone also signed the online petition supporting Lula, whose electoral aspirations are at risk of being blocked.

• Monday, January 15th 2018 - 21:08 UTC

  Venezuelan rebels killed in operative against Oscar Pérez

  

  An operation started at dawn on Monday in El Junquito, Caracas left 2 police and an undetermined number of dead rebels, the government announced. From his social networks, Oscar Perez, bloody and with detonations in the background, repeatedly reported on video that although he and his team had already surrendered, they did not stop receiving shots, missiles and grenades in the house where they were hiding.

• Monday, January 15th 2018 - 10:39 UTC

  Investigator of murdered Maltese journalist Caruana Galizia fears for his life

  

  A former anti-corruption investigator in Malta has told BBC Newsnight he fears for his life after looking into allegations made by murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Jonathan Ferris is seeking full police protection amid concerns he could be targeted after looking into her claims against top political figures.

• Monday, January 15th 2018 - 10:25 UTC

  First Minister Sturgeon: Brexit deal will decide second referendum on Scottish independence

  

  Nicola Sturgeon has said she will be able to make a judgment on whether to back a second referendum on Scottish independence by the end of this year. The first minister said her decision would be made when the shape of a deal between Britain and the European Union became clear in the autumn.

• Monday, January 15th 2018 - 09:19 UTC

  Donald joins the sloppy club: caught in his 'tighty-whities' chasing porn stars

  

  United States president Donald Trump faced new accusations on Saturday regarding the alleged payment of hush money to a pornographic film star. A second actor in pornographic films told the Daily Beast she had been invited to join Trump when he was with Stephanie Clifford, who performs under the name Stormy Daniels. The same site reported that a third actor, who accused Trump of sexual misconduct before the 2016 election, is now subject to a non-disclosure agreement.

• Monday, January 15th 2018 - 09:09 UTC

  Macron lobbying for the French baguette as a UNESCO “intangible heritage”

  

  French baguettes could soon join Chinese calligraphy, Neapolitan pizza and Belgian beer on a global list of officially recognized cultural treasures. President Emmanuel Macron is hoping to lend some serious sway to a campaign by his country's bakers to have the iconic doughy delicacy secure a place on UNESCO's “intangible heritage” list.

• Monday, January 15th 2018 - 04:23 UTC

  Norway laughs at Australia's blooper on polar bear attacks

  

  Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted a helpful clarification for Australian travelers, who had been warned by their government about Norwegian polar bear attacks.

• Monday, January 15th 2018 - 02:41 UTC

  Francis arrives in Chile to a divided church with threats of violence and protests over abuses allegations

  

  Pope Francis' trip to South America is supposed to be all about peace, unity and hope. But the pontiff could also be welcomed with protests, threats of violence and controversy over allegations of abuses by the Catholic Church. Argentina born Francis comes to his home continent for a two-country, six-city apostolic visit that starts in Chile this Monday and ends in Peru a week later.