EU

Small far-left party agitates for Catalan independence

  by Laurence Boutreux Agence France-Presse MADRID, Spain – A far-left party which holds the balance of power in Catalonia’s parliament is using its influence to push for an immediate declaration of independence and launch a campaign of civil disobedience. With Spain threatening to seize some of the pro-independence Catalan government’s powers, the Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP) party has deployed its preferred weapon: street agitation. The staunchly separatist and anti-capitalist party has called for protesters to gather Thursday […]

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Spain to push ahead with suspending Catalan autonomy

by Katy Lee Agence France Presse MADRID, Spain — Spain said Thursday it will move to seize some of the Catalan regional government’s powers after its leader warned he could declare independence, escalating the country’s worst political crisis in decades. The central government in Madrid had given separatist leader Carles Puigdemont until 10:00 am (0800 GMT) on Thursday to say whether or not he was declaring a breakaway state in the semi-autonomous region following a […]

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Spain gives final call for Catalan independence decision

by Marianne Barriaux with Patrick Galey in Madrid Agence France Presse Madrid on Monday gave Catalonia’s separatist leader three more days to “return to legality” after he refused to say whether he would follow through on a threat to declare independence from Spain. Responding to an initial deadline set by the central government, Carles Puigdemont sent a letter early Monday calling for talks with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy “as soon as possible” amid Spain’s worst […]

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30 killed as wildfires rage in Portugal and Spain

by Thomas Cabral Agence France Presse LISBON, Portugal (AFP) — At least 27 people have died in fires which have ravaged forests in northern and central Portugal over the past 24 hours, rescuers said Monday, as three people were killed in Spain in blazes sparked by arsonists and fanned by Hurricane Ophelia. In Portugal, Prime Minister Antonio Costa declared a state of emergency as more than 4,000 firefighters fought some 20 major fires still raging […]

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Austria far-right eyes power in ‘whiz-kid’ government

by Nina Lamparski and Simon Sturdee Agence France Presse Austria’s far-right looked set Monday for a possible return to power in a coalition with conservative “whiz-kid” Sebastian Kurz, the world’s youngest leader-in-waiting, in a fresh triumph for European populists. Such a rightward shift in the wealthy European Union member state would pose a fresh headache for Brussels as it struggles with Brexit and the rise of nationalists in Germany, Hungary, Poland and elsewhere. The People’s […]

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Austria set to elect youngest EU leader in right-wing push

  by Nina Lamparski Agence France Presse VIENNA, Austria (AFP) — Austrians were voting Sunday in a snap election tipped to see conservative Sebastian Kurz, 31, become the EU’s youngest leader and form an alliance with the far-right, in the bloc’s latest populist test. A rightward shift in the wealthy European Union member of 8.75 million people would be a fresh headache for Brussels, as it already struggles with Britain’s decision to leave and the […]

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Business exodus deepens Catalan economy fears

by Patrick Galey and Adrien Vicente Agence France-Presse MADRID, Spain –Catalonia’s independence drive has sent dozens of firms fleeing as doubts grow over the economy of a region that, while one of Spain’s richest, is also deeply indebted and dependent on trade with the EU and the rest of Spain. The semi-autonomous region accounts for one fifth of national GDP and is Spain’s largest exporter, but as the country’s worst political crisis in a generation drags on […]

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British PM refuses to say if she’d vote for Brexit now

LONDON, United Kingdom  (AFP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday refused to tell a radio station whether she would back EU membership in another referendum, as she leads her country out of the bloc. “I don’t answer hypothetical questions,” May told LBC radio station when asked how she would vote if a Brexit referendum were held now. The prime minister said she had “good reasons” when she backed European Union membership in the 2016 vote, […]

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Catalan leaders under pressure over independence threat

by Daniel Silva and Diego Urdaneta Agence France-Presse BARCELONE, Spain – Catalan leaders came under intense domestic and international pressure Monday to halt plans to break away from Spain after the region’s president repeated his threat to declare independence and the government warned it would act to block it. The sides dug in as the clock ticked down to a Tuesday evening session in the regional parliament where separatists have called for an independence declaration, a plan that […]

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Catalan leaders defy king over independence

by Marianne Barriaux with Roland Lloyd Parry in Madrid Agence France Presse BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) — Tension mounted in Spain on Wednesday after Catalonia’s leader vowed that the region would declare independence within days, defying a stern warning from the country’s king that national stability was in peril. The courts meanwhile placed Catalan police officials and pro-independence civil leaders under investigation for alleged “sedition” as Spain sank deeper into its worst political crisis in decades. […]

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Spain in crisis after police violence in Catalan vote

by Patrick Rahir with Marianne Barriaux in Barcelona  with Marianne Barriaux Agence France-Presse MADRID, Spain – Spain came under international pressure Monday to resolve a spiralling crisis with its Catalan region after a banned independence referendum was marred by shocking scenes of police violence. The country’s central government vowed to stop its northeastern region breaking away from Spain after Catalonia’s leader claimed that 90 percent of voters backed independence in Sunday’s referendum, which Madrid says is unconstitutional […]

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Barricades and sit-ins as Catalan voters face police

by Marianne Barriaux and Anna Cuenca Agence France-Presse BARCELONA, Spain – It was still pitch black when would-be voters lined up in Barcelona early Sunday, braving rain as they hoped to cast ballots in referendum, banned by Spain’s government, on independence for Catalonia. As dawn broke, though, those hopes diminished as news spread that riot police were on the way. And then they arrived. At one polling station, armed, helmeted police broke in to seize ballot boxes prepared […]

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