PARIS, France (AFP) – by Guy JACKSON Europe’s leaders have vowed no compromise on the terms of their divorce with Britain as a free-falling pound on Friday dramatically underscored the perils ahead for Prime Minister Theresa May’s government. French President Francois Hollande sent one of the strongest warnings yet that Britain will have to pay a heavy price for leaving the European Union, while European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said the bloc must be “unyielding” […]
Tag: EU
A costly divorce: Bosses urge clarity over Brexit
BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom (AFP) – by Edouard GUIHAIRE Katherine HADDON “Divorces always cost you a lot of money,” sighed Charlie Mullins, one of many British bosses pushing ministers for more details on life post-Brexit at the Conservative Party’s annual conference. Dressed in an electric blue suit, Mullins is the charismatic founder of Pimlico Plumbers, whose vans are a common sight in the British capital and whose clients reportedly include Richard Branson. Fronting his company’s stall at […]
Yasay: Duterte’s tirades vs. US, EU won’t ruin foreign relations
(Eagle News)– President Rodrigo Duterte’s tirades against the European Union and United States would not ruin any relations with them, Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay said Tuesday (September 27). Yasay said Duterte’s statements were just ways of expressing his dismay following the criticisms launched by U.S. and E.U. on supposed human rights violations and summary killings. Yasay added that the President’s declaration to open the country’s doors to Russia and China did not mean he will […]
Belgian police arrest two in anti-terror raids
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) – Belgian authorities on Friday detained two people for questioning following anti-terror raids in the capital Brussels and southeastern Belgium, the federal prosecutor’s office said. Police searched two homes in the Haren and Schaarbeek districts of Brussels and another in the city of Liege in the French-speaking Wallonia region, the office said in a statement. “Two persons were arrested and will be interrogated by the investigators,” it said, adding a judge will decide […]
Juncker vows Brexit won’t kill off EU
STRASBOURG, France (AFP) – by Clément ZAMPA with Danny KEMP in Brussels European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday issued a rallying cry for unity after Brexit, saying the EU is not in danger of splitting up but must fight “galloping populism”. In his annual State of the Union speech, Juncker unveiled plans including a European Union defence headquarters in a bid to find common ground after a year of crisis and division in the bloc. […]
Southern nations gear up for EU future showdown
ATHENS, Greece (AFP) – by John HADOULIS Sabine WIBAUX Southern EU leaders on Friday sought to close ranks on migration, extremism and austerity with the bloc’s future on the line, and ahead of a showdown with hardliners next week. Bringing together the members worst hit by the EU’s twin recession and refugee crises, the mini-summit will focus on “protecting borders, fostering growth, fighting against immigration… and acting together against terrorism,” French President Francois Hollande said at the […]
Irish cabinet agrees to appeal Apple ruling
DUBLIN, Ireland (AFP) – by Douglas DALBY Ireland’s fragile minority government agreed Friday to recommend an appeal against the EU’s tax ruling on Apple but said it was recalling parliament early to debate the issue. The deal overcomes a split in cabinet surrounding the 13 billion euros ($15 billion) plus interest that the EU says Apple owes in back taxes, putting Ireland at the centre of a row between Europe and the United States. Apple […]
UK to seek ‘unique’ deal to leave EU: PM’s spokesman
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Britain will seek a “unique” deal on leaving the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May’s Downing Street office said Wednesday, after ministers held their first Brexit talks since the summer break. The government wants to control immigration from the EU while retaining strong trading ties, despite warnings from other nations that single market access is incompatible with limits on the free movement of people. Britain voted to leave the EU […]
Apple hit with record EU tax bill
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) – by Danny KEMP The EU ordered tech giant Apple on Tuesday to pay a record 13 billion euros in back taxes in Ireland, a move Washington warned could damage hugely important transatlantic economic ties. Brussels said Apple, the world’s most valuable company, avoided virtually all tax on its business in the bloc by illegal arrangements with Dublin which gave the company an unfair advantage over competitors. Apple and the Irish government […]
Multi-billion Apple windfall puts Ireland in unusual bind
DUBLIN, Ireland (AFP) – by Douglas DALBY The European Commission’s demand for Apple to pay Ireland some 13 billion euros in back taxes has put the country in the strange position of refusing the windfall for fear of scaring away valuable investment. Rather than welcoming the cash — equivalent to around five percent of its gross domestic product — the government has vowed to appeal the ruling, fearing an ever greatest cost to its […]
Blast at Belgian sports centre kills one, gas accident suspected
CHIMAY, Belgium (Reuters) — An explosion at a sports centre in the southern Belgian town of Chimay early on Friday (August 26) killed one person and wounded four others, two of them seriously, Belgium’s Crisis Centre said. “It is probably a gas explosion,” an official at the agency told Reuters, adding that there was no indication of it being a militant attack. Local media reported the blast occurred just after midnight (2200 GMT) at a […]
Big three leaders insist EU not finished after Brexit
ABOARD the GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI aircraft carrier, Italy (AFP) – by Hervé ASQUIN Ella IDE The leaders of France, Germany and Italy insisted Monday that Britain’s decision to quit the European Union would not kill the bloc. Speaking aboard an aircraft carrier anchored off the Italian island of Ventotene, one of the cradles of the dream of a united, integrated Europe, the leaders vowed to relaunch the European project in the wake of the Brexit shock. […]
