Videoconferencing with EU works, but there are difficulties: UK negotiator
Britain’s negotiator with the EU, David Frost, said on Wednesday he had been impressed by what can be achieved by negotiating by video conference because of the coronavirus, but it does mean that other parts of traditional talks are more difficult.
PM takes Brexit decisions, Cummings does not give instructions: UK negotiator
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson takes the main decisions on Brexit policy and his senior advisor Dominic Cummings does not give instructions on negotiations with the European Union, the UK’s chief negotiator David Frost said on Wednesday.
Brazil’s Vale ordered to set aside $1.48 billion for Brumadinho dam damages
A judge in Brazil’s Minas Gerais state partially granted an injunction sought by prosecutors ordering iron ore miner Vale SA to deposit 7.9 billion reais ($1.48 billion) for payment of potential fines related to a dam disaster last year.
Nigerian military unlawfully detain children at rehabilitation centre for militants: Amnesty
The Nigerian military are unlawfully detaining boys and men at a rehabilitation centre for alleged members of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, Amnesty International said in a report released on Wednesday.
Twenty-six people arrested in France and Belgium over truck deaths
The French prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday that 26 people had been arrested in France and Belgium in connection with the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants found in the back of a truck near London last year.
Croatia welcomes tourists braving coronavirus crisis
A few intrepid European tourists have returned to Croatia’s picturesque Adriatic coast, where the owners of yachts and campsites are hoping their relative isolation will bring the numbers up over the next six weeks.
Head of Italy’s Lombardy region given police escort as COVID anger mounts
The governor of Lombardy, the northern region at the epicentre of Italy’s coronavirus outbreak, said on Wednesday that he had been given a police escort after growing criticism of his administration’s handling of the crisis.
Germany can’t confirm Merkel will attend G7 in person: spokeswoman
German Chancellor Angela Merkel cannot confirm her physical presence at an envisaged summit of the Group of Seven (G7) in the United States yet, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday, adding that this would depend on how the coronavirus pandemic develops.
Berlin: Germany expects China to respect rule of law in Hong Kong
Germany expects China to respect the rule of law in Hong Kong, a government spokeswoman said on Wednesday, after security legislation proposed by Beijing has raised international alarm over freedoms in the former British crown colony.
Britain in close contact with U.S. in run up to G7: PM’s spokesman
Britain is in close contact with the United States in the run-up to the G7 summit and is looking at what is being proposed, a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday.
