Politics

• Friday, March 23rd 2018 - 09:20 UTC

  EU recalls ambassador to Moscow: “highly likely” Russia was responsible for the nerve agent attack in UK

  

  The European Union has recalled its ambassador to Moscow after leaders agreed it was “highly likely” Russia was responsible for a nerve agent attack in the UK. In a statement following an evening of talks in Brussels, the European Council of EU leaders agreed “there is no plausible alternative explanation”.

• Friday, March 23rd 2018 - 09:13 UTC

  China announces US$ 3bn target for retaliation in trade dispute with Washington

  

  China announced a US$ 3 billion list of U.S. goods including pork, apples and steel pipe on Friday that it said may be hit with higher tariffs in a spiraling trade dispute with President Donald Trump that companies and investors worry could depress global commerce. The Commerce Ministry urged Washington to negotiate a prompt settlement to the conflict over Trump's tariff hike on steel and aluminum but set no deadline.

• Friday, March 23rd 2018 - 09:06 UTC

  Argentina expanded 2.9% last year; 2018 challenging given the persistent drought effect on crops

  

  Argentina's economy expanded 2.9% in 2017 from the prior year and 3.9% in the fourth quarter versus the same period in 2016, the Indec statistics agency said this week. The year-over-year figure was slightly above the 2.8% annual growth rate given last month by Argentina's monthly economic activity indicator, seen as a proxy for gross domestic product.

• Friday, March 23rd 2018 - 08:56 UTC

  Global Britain will have 250 new diplomatic roles overseas in the next two years

  

  At least 250 new diplomatic roles will be created overseas in the coming two years as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) invests in a major expansion of the UK’s diplomatic service, an uplift of almost 15% on the number of British diplomats overseas, the Foreign Secretary announced today.

• Friday, March 23rd 2018 - 07:46 UTC

  Trump names hard line hawk as national security advisor

  

  John Bolton, chosen by President Donald Trump late Thursday to replace H.R. McMaster as national security adviser, is a career lawyer and diplomat who has long been on the president's short list to join the administration. The lifelong conservative has taken hawkish public stances on such issues as North Korea's nuclear program.

• Friday, March 23rd 2018 - 07:34 UTC

  Vatican's communications chief resigns following manipulation of news

  

  The head of the Vatican's communications department resigned this week over a scandal about a letter from the retired pope that he mischaracterized in public and then had digitally manipulated in a photograph sent to the media.

• Friday, March 23rd 2018 - 07:07 UTC

  Falklands second flight: Minister Faurie confirms the interest of seven airlines

  

  Argentine foreign minister Jorge Faurie this week revealed to the Senate foreign affairs committee that seven airlines have stated their interest in servicing a second commercial flight between the Falkland Islands and the continent: two from Uruguay, two from Chile and three from Brazil.

• Thursday, March 22nd 2018 - 22:16 UTC

  Trump calls for reciprocity and reveals US$ 60bn tariffs in China imports

  

  President Donald Trump announced on Thursday his plans for tariffs on up to US$60 billion annually in Chinese imports, designed as retaliation for an administration report that will outline Beijing’s violation of U.S. intellectual property rights.

• Thursday, March 22nd 2018 - 22:04 UTC

  Falklands ready for the Argentine next of kin visit

  

  The Falkland Islands government has announced details of next Monday's visit of relatives of the Argentine fallen soldiers whose remains, at the Argentine military cemetery at Darwin, were recently identified by a special team led by the International Red Cross. The release states the following:

• Thursday, March 22nd 2018 - 16:00 UTC

  Brazil instructs federal communications agencies to reduce coverage of the murder of Marielle Franco

  

  Journalists and radio broadcasters at Empresa Brasileira de Comunicação (Brazil Communication Company, or EBC), a federal public agency, protested on March 20 against direction given by company managers to reduce coverage of the murders of Marielle Franco, a city councilor for Rio de Janeiro, and her driver Anderson Gomes, both killed in a March 4 shooting.