Highlights: UK ministers quit over Brexit draft, pound and bank stocks tumble, May vows to fight
Prime Minister Theresa May battled on Thursday to save a draft divorce deal with the European Union after her Brexit minister, Dominic Raab, and other ministers quit in protest and eurosceptic lawmakers stepped up efforts to topple her.
How Britain’s Raab tripped on ‘Barnier’s staircase’
Dominic Raab tripped up on Michel Barnier’s Brexit staircase — that is how EU negotiators see how the reworking of a draft deal reached a month ago led to new demands on Britain that prompted him and other ministers to resign.
U.S. sanctions 17 Saudis over killing of journalist Khashoggi
The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on 17 Saudi officials on Thursday for their role in the killing last month of Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, the first concrete response by the Trump administration to the journal…
Factbox: Who are the Saudis under the spotlight over Khashoggi’s killing?
Saudi Arabia is seeking the death penalty against five out of 21 people under investigation in connection with the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Five senior government officials have also been dismissed.
U.N. Palestinian aid agency narrows funding gap after Trump exit
The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees has almost closed a funding gap caused by the loss of $300 million in U.S. contributions, its chief said on Tuesday.
Pentagon to cut hundreds of troops in Africa as U.S. focuses on China, Russia
The U.S. military will withdraw hundreds of troops focused on counterterrorism operations in Africa over the next several years to support the Pentagon’s increased focus on countering threats from China and Russia, a U.S. official said on Thursday.
BMW says preparing for no-deal Brexit given political uncertainty
Carmaker BMW said it was continuing to prepare for a no-deal Brexit, given uncertainty around Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal after several of her ministers resigned in protest.
Factbox: Who wants to be Britain’s next prime minister?
Prime Minister Theresa May’s position as leader of the ruling Conservative Party is under assault by eurosceptic lawmakers who reject her EU exit strategy and want a more pro-Brexit leader.
UK’s May likens her Brexit resolve to cricketer Geoff Boycott
British Prime Minister Theresa May, who has vowed to see through her Brexit plan to the end, compared herself on Thursday to legendary English cricketer Geoffrey Boycott, noting that he was hard to get out even if his run-scoring was sometimes slow.
Sri Lanka president seeks fresh no-confidence motion against new PM
Sri Lanka’s president on Thursday called for a fresh no-confidence motion against the prime minister he appointed last month, a move that could help break a political gridlock in the south Asian country hit by a constitutional crisis.
