Politics

• Wednesday, March 7th 2018 - 07:32 UTC

  UK threatens Russia with robust response if ex spy and daughter have been poisoned

  

  Britain has threatened a “robust” response if it is proven that Russia is behind the apparent attempted killing of a former double agent. Sergei Skripal and his daughter were found collapsed in their home town in southern England on Sunday, showing symptoms of poisoning.

• Wednesday, March 7th 2018 - 06:36 UTC

  Lula closer to prison, but remains undisputed front-runner in the presidential election

  

  Former Brazilian President Lula da Silva is a step closer to prison. A panel of judges on Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice on Tuesday rejected Lula da Silva’s request for an injunction that would prevent him from being imprisoned as he appeals a corruption conviction.

• Wednesday, March 7th 2018 - 06:08 UTC

  Chilean president presents constitutional reform a week before leaving office

  

  Chilean president Michelle Bachelet is ending her term with an ambitious proposal for a new constitution that would ensure equal pay for men and women and strengthen guarantees of the right to strike. Bachelet sent the proposal to Congress on Tuesday, just five days before she leaves office.

• Tuesday, March 6th 2018 - 10:00 UTC

  Trump speaks openly of a “trade war”; links tariffs on steel and aluminum to a redrafted Nafta

  

  U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday the U.S. is not backing down on its decision to impose 25% tariffs on steel imports and 10% tariffs on imported aluminum products. Before a White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump suggested Mexico and Canada could be exempted from the planned tariffs if a new and “fair” North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is reached.

• Tuesday, March 6th 2018 - 09:54 UTC

  Forget Berlusconi: Italy has become a major setback for the European Union

  

  Italy's general election on Sunday has so far resulted in a hung parliament, with the country's Euro skeptic Five Star Movement emerging as the single party with the most votes. The centre-right coalition headed by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is expected to gain between 248 and 268 seats and a 37% vote share, which is still short of a majority. Some 316 seats are needed to form a government.

• Tuesday, March 6th 2018 - 09:46 UTC

  China increases its military budget 8.1% to US$ 175bn; regional powers “nervous”

  

  China revealed on Monday that it will raise its military budget by US$ 175 billion for the 2018 fiscal year, 8.1% increase that is the largest military spending hike in three years. According to Premier Li Keqiang, the additional funding will “advance all aspects of military training and war preparedness, and firmly and resolvedly safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests.”

• Tuesday, March 6th 2018 - 09:00 UTC

  Falklands: Public Accounts Committee reviews commodity prices

  

  During its last constitutional review, which concluded in 2008, the Falkland Islands established a Public Accounts Committee (PAC). This was based on such committees elsewhere in the world and has now been in operation for a number of years. It has an independent Chair and community members, though two Members of the Legislative Assembly also sit on the Committee at any point in time.

• Tuesday, March 6th 2018 - 06:56 UTC

  “Legacy” argument no longer stands for the Macri government, warns political analyst

  

  The argument of the “legacy” from the Kirchner years no longer stands, since normally on the third year of an elected government public opinion becomes more demanding, explained Argentine political analyst Rosendo Fraga commenting on the latest events in Argentina and the administration of president Mauricio Macri.

• Tuesday, March 6th 2018 - 06:49 UTC

  A month after leaving the Falklands, “Tarini” has reached Cape Town

  

  Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) ‘Tarini’ has reached Cape Town in South Africa. This has marked the successful circumnavigation which started in September last year. The all-women crew has created history with the voyage as it is the first-ever Indian circumnavigation by an all-women crew.

• Monday, March 5th 2018 - 11:59 UTC

  Falklands have three new young “ambassadors”

  

  Three young people who, judging by their boundless enthusiasm for all things Falkland, could be ambassadors for the Islands after only a week in Stanley and the Camp. Mauricio Giraudo from Uruguay, Marco Franceschini from Brazil and Hristo Gomez, from Chile, are this year’s winners of a competition organized each year by the British embassies in Montevideo, Brasilia and Santiago and sponsored and financed by the Falkland Islands Government.