EU

Britain names parliament attacker; IS claims responsibility

by Robin Millard Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — London police on Thursday identified a British man as responsible for killing four people in a rampage outside parliament, as hundreds gathered for a candlelit vigil in the capital. The Islamic State group claimed the assailant behind the deadliest attack on British soil in 12 years was one of its “soldiers” acting on a call to target countries in the United States-led coalition fighting […]

IRA fighter-turned-peacemaker McGuinness dies: Sinn Fein

  LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Northern Ireland’s former deputy First Minister and one-time IRA commander Martin McGuinness has died aged 66, his Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein said on Tuesday. McGuinness had resigned from politics in January, citing a serious illness and a breakdown in relations with the rival Democratic Unionist Party. “It is with deep regret and sadness that we have learnt of the death of our friend and comrade Martin McGuinness who passed […]

Britain to launch EU exit process next week

By Alice Ritchie / with Danny Kemp in Brussels London, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain said Monday it will launch the process of leaving the European Union on March 29, setting a historic and uncharted course to become the first country to withdraw from the bloc by March 2019. Nine months after the stunning referendum vote for Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May’s government will finally trigger Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty next week, starting a […]

‘Now is not the time’ for Scottish independence vote: May

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday rejected a call by the Scottish government for a second referendum on independence before Britain leaves the European Union — but did not rule out a vote entirely. “I say now is not the time,” she said, arguing that all of Britain’s energies should be put into the forthcoming Brexit negotiations. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced Monday that she wanted a fresh […]

Rutte’s party scoops largest number of seats in Dutch parliament

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte Wednesday paid tribute to people who had voted “against populism” as his party scooped the largest number of seats in parliament. “This was the evening when The Netherlands, after Brexit and the American elections, said ‘stop’ to the wrong kind of populism,” Rutte told cheering supporters.

Erdogan angers Dutch with Srebrenica jibe

  by Raziye Akkoc with Stuart Williams in Istanbul ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prompted a fresh outcry in The Netherlands on Tuesday with a jibe about the Srebrenica massacre, warning of retaliation in a spiraling diplomatic crisis. Keeping an uncompromising tone in a tumultuous dispute that risks wrecking the entire Ankara-Amsterdam relationship, Erdogan said a ‘yes’ vote in a April 16 referendum on expanding his powers would be the best […]

Merkel meets Trump amid tense ties

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Europe’s most powerful leader, Angela Merkel, meets for the first time next week America’s flamboyant President Donald Trump whose arrival in the White House has sent shockwaves across the Atlantic. While former United States president Barack Obama had labelled Merkel his “closest international partner,” there has been little known contact between the German leader and Trump since he took office. Trump’s criticism of Germany over issues ranging from its record-trade surplus […]

As Brexit looms, Britain forecasts strong economy

by Roland JACKSON Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom – Britain’s economy will grow far stronger than expected this year, finance minister Philip Hammond said in a budget update Wednesday, as the government prepares to trigger Brexit. Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed to activate Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty in the next three weeks, sparking a painful two-year divorce process — and tense talks over the terms of Britain’s departure from the […]

France’s Fillon keeps bid alive as rival rules himself out

by Adam PLOWRIGHT Agence France-Presse PARIS, France – Former prime minister Alain Juppe ruled out a run for the French presidency on Monday, boosting embattled rightwing party colleague Francois Fillon whose campaign has been thrown into chaos by a fake jobs scandal. Juppe, 71, was the most likely candidate to replace Fillon and unite their deeply divided Republicans party only seven weeks from the start of the two-stage election. Polls suggested Juppe would be more […]

Ukraine reaches prelim agreement with IMF

  by Dmitry ZAKS KIEV, Ukraine (AFP) — The International Monetary Fund said Saturday it had reached a preliminary agreement with Ukraine that could see the war-scarred and cashed-starved nation receive fresh aid in the first half of the year. The news was particularly good for the ex-Soviet republic because the IMF statement referred to a loan of $1 billion (0.9 billion euros) and not the lesser sums discussed in earlier months. Ukraine also gets […]

Iraqi ex-soldier in German court over beheaded IS jihadist photos

  BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — A Berlin court on Wednesday began hearing a case against a former Iraqi soldier charged with war crimes after he allegedly posed for photographs with the severed heads of two Islamic State jihadists. The 28-year-old, identified by the court as Rami K., was photographed in March 2015 holding the severed heads by their hair. The accused was then a soldier in the Iraqi army, and the picture, taken near the […]