London, United Kingdom | AFP | The EU could approve Britain’s request for a short delay to Brexit but only if British MPs next week vote through the withdrawal deal they have twice rejected, European Council president Donald Tusk said Wednesday. “I believe a short extension will be possible but it …
Read More »In rejecting May’s deal, Brexiteers risk helping Remainers
London, United Kingdom | AFP | In voting against Prime Minister Theresa May’s divorce deal this week, hardline supporters of Brexit risked helping those who want to undermine the whole process. The so-called Brexiteers declared victory on Tuesday when the House of Commons rejected May’s EU withdrawal agreement for a …
Read More »Main points of draft Brexit agreement
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | British MPs will vote on a draft Brexit deal on Tuesday aimed at ensuring a smooth exit from the European Union to be followed by a transition period that could last until 2022. The agreement was voted down overwhelmingly by parliament in January but the …
Read More »‘Nearly a third’ of British billionaires moved to tax havens
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Nearly a third of Britain’s billionaires have either moved or are relocating to tax havens, where some have broken UK law by bankrolling political parties, a major investigation said on Thursday. The Times newspaper published a series of reports detailing allegations of Britain’s ultra-rich …
Read More »Ugandan jailed after becoming first convicted of FGM in UK
London, United Kingdom | AFP | A British judge on Friday jailed a Ugandan woman for 11 years after she became the first person ever to be found guilty of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Britain. A jury in February convicted the 37-year-old, who lives in east London but cannot …
Read More »Side-front in Britain’s Brexit drama — the US Congress
Washington, United States | AFP | With Britain deadlocked on negotiating its divorce from the European Union, an unexpected side-front is emerging — the US Congress. Conservatives who pushed the June 2016 referendum that ended in the shock decision to leave the 28-member bloc dangled the prospect of a free trade agreement with the United …
Read More »Britain to strip IS teen of citizenship: lawyer
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain will strip citizenship from a UK teenager who joined the Islamic State group in Syria but now wants to return home with her newborn baby, a lawyer for her family said Tuesday. Shamima Begum’s fate has stirred controversy since she and two friends fled London to join the …
Read More »UK teen who joined IS gives birth in Syrian refugee camp
London, United Kingdom | AFP | A teenager who joined the Islamic State group in Syria but now wants to return to Britain on Sunday gave birth in a refugee camp, as European governments grapple with what to do with returning jihadists ahead of a US troop pullout. Shamima Begum, whose fate has stirred controversy …
Read More »Global energy demand to soar one third by 2040: BP
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Global energy demand will surge by a third over the next two decades on advancing prosperity, but Indian demand growth will eclipse that of flagging giant China, Britain’s BP forecast Thursday. “The demand for energy is set to increase significantly driven by increases in prosperity …
Read More »Britain’s May seeks more time from MPs for Brexit talks
London, United Kingdom | AFP | The British government is seeking to win more time to secure EU concessions on Brexit that could pass parliament and avert a chaotic split from the bloc on March 29. Businesses and governments are on edge because Britain is just weeks away from its scheduled departure from the European …
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