Tag: United Kingdom

• Monday, August 24th 2015 - 11:05 UTC

  UK reopens embassy in Teheran and Iran in London; initially at chargé d'affairs level

  

  The British embassy in Iran has reopened, nearly four years after it was closed. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond attended a ceremony on Sunday in Teheran with Iranian diplomats to mark the reopening while Iran has also reopened its embassy in London.

• Monday, August 24th 2015 - 08:54 UTC

  Pope Francis and the Malvinas

  

  By Jimmy Burns - The snapped moment of encounter projected fast and globally on the world wide web has become as much as a characteristic of the Francis papacy, as his twitter account @pontifex. This is a papacy with a charismatic personality and instinctive communicator at its helm. It is also a papacy advised by media specialists and diplomats that know something about the opportunity offered by the digital age to spread a message with an impact that would have inconceivable just a few years ago.

• Friday, August 21st 2015 - 11:35 UTC

  Royal Navy's third Astute Class attack submarine ready for sea trials

  

  Artful, the third of the U.K. Royal Navy’s new Astute Class attack submarines, has arrived at her Scottish base port from where she will carry out sea trials before entering service later this year, the U.K. Ministry of Defense announced.

• Friday, August 21st 2015 - 05:54 UTC

  Malvinas pic controversy: “Francis spoke with his low tone but strong voice”

  

  Despite the controversy generated by Wednesday picture which showed Pope Francis holding a banner calling for dialogue between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, and later a spokesperson's dismissal of the significance of the incidence, the best definition of what really happened seems to have come from Argentina's cabinet chief Anibal Fernandez in his daily media conference, “the pontiff”, he said, spoke with his “low tone but strong voice”.

• Thursday, August 20th 2015 - 07:30 UTC

  Pope Francis quashes any attempt to foster Falklands/Malvinas dialogue

  

  Pope Francis was sucked into Argentina's dispute with Britain over the Falkland Islands after an activist thrust a sign in his hands calling for dialogue between the two countries and President Cristina Fernandez jumped on the opportunity to rekindle the fight.

• Monday, August 17th 2015 - 07:54 UTC

  Ecuador hits back at the UK over the Assange asylum case in London

  

  Ecuador has hit back at the UK government over who is to blame for the deadlock in the case of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The 44-year-old Australian has been living in Ecuador's embassy in London for more than three years to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces sexual assault allegations.

• Friday, August 14th 2015 - 08:45 UTC

  Blair warns Labor faces 'annihilation' if it chooses Jeremy Corbyn as leader

  

  Former British prime minister Tony Blair made a dramatic intervention into the debate over the future leadership of the Labor Party this week, warning Labour voters that the party faces “annihilation” if it chooses Jeremy Corbyn as leader.

• Friday, August 14th 2015 - 08:32 UTC

  UK to protest to Ecuador for harboring Assange; policing the embassy has cost 18.8m dollars

  

  The UK is to make a formal protest to the government of Ecuador over the country's decision to “harbor” Julian Assange, the Foreign Office has said. The Wikileaks co-founder sought asylum at London's Ecuadorean embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden.

• Saturday, August 8th 2015 - 08:22 UTC

  Bank of England keeps rates unchanged; little talk of rise because of China and Greece

  

  UK interest rates have been held at 0.5% again by the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). Members voted 8-1 to keep rates on hold - the first time for months the decision has not been unanimous, with Ian McCafferty voting for an increase.

• Friday, August 7th 2015 - 07:54 UTC

  Falklands-born candidate says he has sufficient credentials to be a Mercosur parliament member

  

  Falkland Islands born and pre-candidate for the Mercosur Parliament in representation of a Tierra del Fuego political party, Alejandro Betts, underlined his diplomatic experience in international forums and meetings with 30 presentations, including those at the annual UN Decolonization Committee or C24 in New York.