Politics

• Tuesday, January 30th 2018 - 07:22 UTC

  Foreign Office planning to ban drilling and mining offshore BOTs in South Atlantic

  

  British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is expected to institute a ban on fishing, drilling and freight transport in British overseas territories in the South Atlantic in an effort to protect wildlife in the area. The South Sandwich Islands, which plays host to Antarctic scientists but has no permanent residents, lie around 1,500km east of the Falkland Islands.

• Tuesday, January 30th 2018 - 07:12 UTC

  EU Agriculture and Trade commissioners at odds over increasing Mercosur beef access

  

  A long-awaited major trade deal between the EU and Mercosur may this week take a key step towards realization with ministerial teams from both sides meeting in Brussels on Monday. They are expected to give negotiators a new, decisive political impulse to reach agreement in a matter of weeks, according to Irish sources.

• Tuesday, January 30th 2018 - 07:00 UTC

  EU rules for post-March 2019: UK abides but will not be involved in making them

  

  The European Union has set out its demands for the temporary transition period after the UK leaves in March 2019, and EU wants the UK to continue to follow its rules but not be involved in making decisions.

• Monday, January 29th 2018 - 18:29 UTC

  “Electoral charade”: Maduro clings to power at all costs

  

  On December 20 the National Constituent Assembly (ANC) - formed only by pro-government officials - decreed that political parties that did not participate for the last regional election a few months ago must be revalidated before the National Electoral Council (CNE), a rule that according to the the current constitution should be should be applied when absenting more than 3 times to the suffrages.

• Monday, January 29th 2018 - 11:01 UTC

  Macri and ministers expected to freeze their salaries, for one year, as part of the austerity measures

  

  The government of Argentine president Mauricio Macri is expected to announce on Monday as part of the overall austerity and adjustment programs, a freeze on all top government salaries and the reduction of at least 20% in political nominee posts in the Executive branch.

• Monday, January 29th 2018 - 10:56 UTC

  February 10, RMS St Helena departs on her last trip after 27 years service

  

  The unique Royal Mail Ship, RMS St Helena, will depart on a final voyage (268) from the remote South Atlantic island of St. Helena on Saturday, 10 February, having dutifully served for the past 27 years. The island, a UK Overseas Territory located 1200 miles off the west coast of Africa could only be reached by the ocean-going passenger-cargo ship service, until commercial flights began operating last October, following completion of an airport.

• Monday, January 29th 2018 - 10:41 UTC

  Euro-skeptic Tories fear real danger of a “dilution of Brexit”; point to Hammond

  

  The UK is heading towards “a dilution of Brexit”, former cabinet minister Theresa Villiers has said. The Conservative MP, writing in the Sunday Telegraph said there was “a real danger” the UK will sign up to an agreement with Brussels which could “keep us in the EU in all but name”. Her comments come amid growing Tory party rifts over Brexit.

• Monday, January 29th 2018 - 06:55 UTC

  Punta Arenas reaffirms Antarctica links with two private support vessels

  

  Punta Arenas. Chile seems determined to remain as the main calling point for Antarctica scientific and logistics support. This month two private undertakings were inaugurated which confirmed that determination, one of them is the DAP's MV Betanzos a scientific vessel for Antarctica research, and the second in the Antarctic Warrior, belonging to the Petromar company and which has been conditioned to transport supplies and fuel to Antarctica.

• Monday, January 29th 2018 - 06:31 UTC

  Argentina will not recognize Venezuela election results, anticipates Macri

  

  Argentina will not recognize the results of upcoming elections in Venezuela, President Mauricio Macri has said accusing strongman Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro of running a “dictatorship”.

• Monday, January 29th 2018 - 06:08 UTC

  Bomb in Colombia city of Barranquilla kills seven officers, wounds 41

  

  At least seven police officers were killed and 41 others wounded on Saturday when alleged drug traffickers detonated a bomb at a station in the Colombian city of Barranquilla. The attack comes as President Juan Manuel Santos seeks to end the armed conflict that has wracked Colombia for 50 years. Much of the violence has been linked to drug trafficking.