Brussels, Belgium | AFP | European leaders were grudgingly preparing to postpone Brexit on Tuesday, after Prime Minister Theresa May made last-ditch visits to Paris and Berlin to beg for more time. May asked to be given until June 30 to arrange Britain’s orderly departure, but EU leaders fear that won’t …
Read More »Britain’s May seeks Brexit delay from Merkel, Macron
Berlin, Germany | AFP | British Prime Minister Theresa May held talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel Tuesday in a last-gasp bid to keep her country from crashing out of the European Union at the end of the week. May will also meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, seeking support …
Read More »Grapes on Mars? Georgia winemakers aiming high
Tbilisi, Georgia | AFP | Georgia is immensely proud of its ancient wine-making tradition, claiming to have been the first nation to make wine. Now it wants to be the first to grow grapes on Mars. Nestling between the Great Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea, Georgia has a mild climate …
Read More »May to meet Merkel, Macron ahead of crucial Brexit summit
London, United Kingdom | AFP | British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday started a last-minute flurry of European diplomacy that includes visits to Paris and Berlin as she prepares for a make-or-break Brexit summit. Still struggling to get her EU divorce deal through parliament, May is hoping European leaders will …
Read More »France begins debating digital tax, defying US ire
Paris, France | AFP | French lawmakers on Monday began debating a new tax on digital giants such as Facebook and Apple that has angered the United States, with Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire boasting that France was proud to be in the vanguard of such a move. The United …
Read More »UK issues passports without ‘European Union’ on cover
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain has begun issuing passports with the words “European Union” removed from the front cover — despite Brexit being delayed and its political leaders deadlocked over how to extricate the country from the bloc. The interior ministry said Saturday that a longstanding decision to start introducing passports without reference …
Read More »Boeing cuts 737 production rate by 10 planes per month
New York, United States | AFP | Boeing announced Friday it would cut the production schedule of its 737 aircraft line following the two recent crashes that have seen the 737 MAX grounded worldwide. The aerospace giant plans to trim production to 42 planes per month, down from 52 per month, starting in mid-April. Boeing …
Read More »EU accuses BMW, Daimler and VW of breaking antitrust rules
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The European Union warned German car giants BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen on Friday that a preliminary inquiry has concluded they colluded to avoid competing on emission control technology. Already reeling in the wake of the devastating “dieselgate” emissions cheating scandal that broke in 2015, the German …
Read More »Britain, EU set out competing Brexit delay dates
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Prime Minister Theresa May asked the European Union on Friday to delay Britain’s departure until June 30 while Brussels suggested that it might be best to postpone the split for up to a year. EU leaders also reacted sceptically, saying that there had to be …
Read More »Britain scrambles for Brexit consensus as EU leaders hold out hope for deal
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain’s government redoubled its efforts Thursday to find common ground with the opposition as German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she still hoped a chaotic Brexit could be avoided next week. Downing Street hailed a second consecutive day of cross-party negotiations between senior ministers and their …
Read More »