Possible Brexit fix: keep Northern Ireland in UK customs but do checks in Irish sea: EU sources
The European Union’s Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier told member states that Britain has changed its position to now accept that the proposed replacement to the backstop cannot erect a customs border on the island of Ireland, a diplomat and an officia…
Spanish court to rule on Catalan separatists on Monday: source
Spain’s Supreme Court is expected to announce its verdict on Monday in the high-stakes trial of Catalan separatist leaders over their role in a banned independence referendum, a judicial source told Reuters on Friday.
EU, Britain to hold intense negotiations on Brexit deal as departure date nears
The European Union and Britain agreed on Friday to hold intense talks over the next few days in a bid to secure a deal over Britain’s departure from the bloc, but arrangements over British-Irish border controls remain at issue, the EU said.
Macron: cannot allow crisis between EU bodies after commissioner rejected
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that one must not let a crisis settle in between the European Union commission and the separate EU parliament, following the rejection this week of France’s candidate to run EU industrial policy.
Man arrested after five stabbed at UK shopping mall
Five people were stabbed at a shopping center in the northern English city of Manchester on Friday and police said counter-terrorism detectives were leading the investigation.
Banks turn more optimistic on Brexit deal as mood music improves
Major investment banks said on Friday they had become more optimistic on the prospects for a Brexit deal, following an upbeat meeting between the British and Irish leaders that buoyed the pound.
China’s Xi lands in India amid scattered Tibetan protests
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in southern India on Friday for talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to try to halt a slide in ties over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir amid scattered anti-China protests from Tibetan groups.
EU cannot accept Turkish ‘blackmail’: Italian prime minister
The European Union must not bow to threats from Turkey to push millions of Syrian refugees into EU countries, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Friday, adding that Ankara should stop its military operations in northern Syria at once.
Cargo plane crashes in Congo with presidential staff on board
A cargo plane carrying presidential staff crashed in eastern Congo on Thursday, and all eight passengers and crew are feared dead, a presidential adviser told Reuters on Friday.
Iranian oil tanker hit off Saudi coast, may have been missiles: Iran reports
An Iranian-owned oil tanker was struck, probably by missiles, in the Red Sea off Saudi Arabia’s coast on Friday, Iranian media said, an incident that if confirmed will stoke tension in a region rattled by attacks on tankers and oil sites since May.
