EU Commission nominee to defend Irish backstop in Brexit
The nominee for the next president of the European Commission vowed on Wednesday to defend the “backstop” provision in Britain’s withdrawal agreement from the EU to avoid extensive border controls on the island of Ireland.
UK’s May says whoever wins Conservative battle will be an excellent PM
Whoever wins the race to become Conservative Party leader will make an excellent prime minister, outgoing British leader Theresa May said in parliament on Wednesday.
UK PM frontrunner Johnson calls ambassador Darroch a superb diplomat
Kim Darroch is a superb diplomat and public servants should not be dragged into the political agenda, Boris Johnson, the frontrunner to become prime minister, said on Wednesday after Britain’s ambassador to the United States resigned in a furore over l…
Macron turns his sights on France’s town halls for power base
After dynamiting France’s mainstream parties, President Emmanuel Macron is turning his mind to re-election and the need to make inroads in the last bastion of the old establishment: his country’s 35,000 town halls.
Brazil lower house expected to vote on pension reform Wednesday
Brazil’s lower house of Congress is expected to begin voting Wednesday on a landmark overhaul to the country’s pension system, after it was pushed back a day due to ongoing political bargaining between the government and opposition lawmakers.
UK PM candidate Johnson: ‘Very odd’ to involve courts in Brexit decision
Boris Johnson, the leading contender to be Britain’s next prime minister, said on Wednesday it would be “very odd” to give the judiciary a say over Brexit, responding to the threat of a legal challenge by former prime minister John Major.
Exclusive: Western countries rebuke China at U.N. for detention of Uighurs
Nearly two dozen countries have called on China to halt its mass detention of ethnic Uighurs in the Xinjiang region, the first such joint move on the issue at the U.N. Human Rights Council, according to diplomats and a letter seen by Reuters.
British ambassador to Washington quits after spat over leaked memos
Britain’s ambassador to Washington quit on Wednesday after days of stinging criticism from Donald Trump, leading to accusations that Boris Johnson, the favorite to be the next British prime minister, had “thrown him under the bus”.
UK foreign minister Hunt ‘outraged’ by leak which led to envoy quitting
Britain’s foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said on Wednesday he was outraged that confidential memos by the country’s ambassador to the United States were leaked, leading to envoy Kim Darroch’s resignation from his post.
Von der Leyen seeks EU lawmakers’ support to become new Commission head
Ursula von der Leyen made her pitch to European lawmakers on Wednesday to be the next head of the EU executive, promising to focus on promoting the rule of law, competitiveness, digitalization and the fight against climate change.
