Politics

• Tuesday, October 10th 2017 - 06:38 UTC

  Theresa May tells MPs to be prepared for every eventuality as a hard Brexit looms closer

  

  The UK has set out how it could operate as an “independent trading nation” after Brexit, even if no trade deal is reached with Brussels. Prime Minister Theresa May told MPs “real and tangible progress” had been made in Brexit talks, but the country must be prepared for “every eventuality”. However Labour said “no real progress has been made” since last June's referendum.

• Tuesday, October 10th 2017 - 06:25 UTC

  Bottle with message tossed close to Falklands emerges five years later in New Zealand

  

  Tossed into the sea by a sailor on a yacht in the Atlantic ocean, a message in a bottle drifted across the seas for five years. Some 8000 kilometers later, it washed up on a Northland beach in New Zealand. A couple were walking along the waterfront near their home when the corked wine bottle caught their eye. Inside was a letter thrown into the sea near the Falkland Islands, penned on January 20, 2012. 

• Tuesday, October 10th 2017 - 06:17 UTC

  Falklands War memorial unveiled in Brecon by ex governor Sir Alan Huckle

  

  The new Falklands War memorial in Brecon, Wales, was officially unveiled on Saturday in the Peace Gardens. The former Governor of the Falkland Islands, Sir Alan Huckle, unveiled the memorial stone while Jock Blair from the Royal British Legion in Brecon unveiled the bench.

• Tuesday, October 10th 2017 - 06:07 UTC

  Public funds to finance election campaigns to help fight corruption, “insufficient”

  

  A political campaign fund set up in Brazil with public money to help fight corruption is not big enough for the country’s 2018 general election, the head of the country’s top electoral court said. Brazil’s scandal-plagued political class voted to establish the 1.7 billion Reais (US$542 million) fund to finance election campaigns after corporate donations were banned in the wake of the country’s biggest ever corruption scandal.

• Tuesday, October 10th 2017 - 03:00 UTC

  Brazilian political system passes a bill forcing social media outlets to censor critical content

  

  In a move that critics say impinges on the legitimacy of democracy, the Brazilian Congress has approved legislation allowing parties and candidates to force social media outlets to censor offensive or critical content by anonymous authors.

• Tuesday, October 10th 2017 - 02:55 UTC

  Rio 2016 Games chairman arrested and suspended on corruption charges

  

  The chairman of Brazil’s Olympic Committee, who helped organize the Rio 2016 Games, submitted his resignation on Saturday, saying he wanted to concentrate on defending himself against corruption charges.

• Tuesday, October 10th 2017 - 02:32 UTC

  Angela Merkel agrees to an immigration cap as part of her talks to form a coalition

  

  German Chancellor Angela Merkel's party has agreed an immigration policy with its sister party, media reports say. The breakthrough in talks with the Christian Social Union (CSU) would overcome a major hurdle as Mrs. Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) seek to form a coalition government.

• Sunday, October 8th 2017 - 09:15 UTC

  Scotland and Ireland allies in Brexit negotiations, will argue to keep an open Irish border

  

  Nicola Sturgeon has said Scotland and Ireland are allies in the Brexit negotiations. Scotland's first minister told business leaders in Dublin she will argue for the Irish border to remain open in the wake of the UK's split from Europe. She added the Republic and Scotland were united on virtually every issue of substance relating to Brexit.

• Sunday, October 8th 2017 - 08:48 UTC

  Weekend of rallies in Spain against Catalonia independence

  

  Rallies are expected in Spain against Catalonian independence, after Sunday's disputed referendum. Demonstrations are planned in Madrid and other cities, with supporters calling for a similar rally in Catalonia's capital Barcelona.

• Sunday, October 8th 2017 - 08:31 UTC

  Argentina preparing to auction offshore hydrocarbons exploration next year

  

  Argentina plans to auction offshore oil and gas exploration rights next year, in the hope of developing fields off its Atlantic coast like those in neighboring Brazil, the energy minister said on Thursday.