Tag: United Kingdom

British ministers show united front to calm eurosceptics

by Alice RITCHIE Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Britain’s Brexit, finance and business ministers displayed a united front on Friday with a letter seeking to reassure eurosceptics worried over the country’s path out of the European Union. Publication of the letter late Friday followed a speech by Brexit minister David Davis, in which he admitted there were “different views” within the government over Britain’s departure from the bloc. Davis joined forces with finance minister Philip […]

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Davis promises independent UK amid fresh Brexit tensions

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Brexit minister David Davis will seek to reassure eurosceptics about the government’s strategy for leaving the EU on Friday after fresh splits emerged in the ruling Conservative party. Prime Minister Theresa May rebuked her finance minister, Philip Hammond, on Thursday after he suggested Britain would only move “very modestly apart” from the EU’s economy after Brexit. Meanwhile backbench MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, who leads a group of more than 50 Brexit-supporting Conservative MPs, […]

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Trump apologises for retweeting far-right British group

by James PHEBY Agence France-Press LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – US President Donald Trump made a rare apology on Friday over his decision to re-tweet anti-Muslim videos posted by a British far-right group, a move which strained tensions with London. “If you’re telling me they’re horrible racist people, I would certainly apologize if you’d like me to do that,” he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain, referring to the group Britain First. Trump sparked outrage in Britain […]

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UN hits out at surge in extra-judicial ‘executions’ in DR Congo

KINSHASA, DR Congo (AFP) – The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday reported a surge in summary “executions” in the country, notably in the southern Kasai region. In 2017, “state agents” carried out 1,176 extra-judicial killings, “including at least 89 women and 213 children,” the United Nations Mission in Congo (MONUSCO) said in an annual report on human rights violations in the DRC. Such killings have tripled over the past two years, […]

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21st Century Fox/Sky takeover thrown into doubt by UK regulator

by Roland Jackson Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Britain’s competition regulator provisionally ruled Tuesday that a planned takeover of pan-European satellite TV giant Sky by Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox entertainment group was “not in the public interest.” The government had referred the matter to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for an in-depth probe last September owing to concerns about media plurality and broadcasting standards. 21st Century Fox bid £11.4 billion ($15.1 billion, 12.7 […]

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Football: Man City won’t fall into complacency trap, says Guardiola

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Pep Guardiola says Manchester City proved against Newcastle United that their title charge will not be derailed by complacency as they bounced back to winning ways following defeat against Liverpool. The runaway Premier League leaders responded to their first domestic loss of the season at Anfield on January 14 by overpowering the Magpies 3-1 with a Sergio Aguero hat-trick on Saturday. Guardiola had said beforehand it was important that his players responded […]

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UK could join reconfigurated EU in future: minister

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Britain could take part in a new model of European cooperation after Brexit but is unlikely to rejoin the EU in its current form, a senior minister said Friday. Cabinet Office minister David Lidington, who chairs several Brexit ministerial committees, said the suggestion by some EU leaders that Britain might change its mind about leaving the bloc was a “red herring”. “Having taken a decision by a referendum, I don’t see that […]

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Football: Chelsea edge into FA Cup fourth round, Bournemouth rocked

by Steven Griffiths Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Chelsea needed a penalty shoot-out before finally killing off Norwich after a 1-1 draw in Wednesday’s FA Cup third round replay, while Bournemouth slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Wigan. Antonio Conte’s side finished extra-time down to nine men after late red cards for Pedro and Alvaro Morata at Stamford Bridge. They had been forced into the extra period when Jamal Lewis’s last-gasp equaliser cancelled out Michy […]

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Football: Sanchez would be ‘great’ for United – Mourinho

by John WEAVER Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Jose Mourinho said Monday it would be “great” if Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez became a Manchester United player as Manchester City’s interest in the Chilean reportedly came to an end. Sanchez, 29, looks to have played his last game for Arsenal, with manager Arsene Wenger saying on Sunday that his move could be confirmed “in the next 48 hours”. A layer of uncertainty as to whether he […]

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UK construction firm Carillion liquidates business

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British construction and outsourcing services group Carillion announced its immediate liquidation Monday after the heavily-indebted company failed to secure a financial rescue from the UK government and banks. Carillion, which employs 43,000 staff worldwide including 19,500 in Britain, said that the government would nevertheless provide some funding to allow current state projects to continue, following crunch talks over the weekend. “This is a very sad day for Carillion, for our […]

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Football: Spurs won’t lose top four battle, vows Pochettino

by Steven Griffiths Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino insists he isn’t concerned about Tottenham missing out on a top four finish in the Premier League despite their damaging 1-1 draw against West Ham. Pochettino’s side had to settle for a point in Thursday’s London derby at Wembley after missing a host of chances as they failed to turn their domination into goals. Tottenham needed a superb long-range strike from South Korea’s Son […]

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EU wants Brexit transition to end December 2020

by Danny Kemp with James Pheby in London Agence France-Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium – The European Commission said Wednesday that it wants a post-Brexit transition period, during which Britain must continue to obey EU rules, to finish at the end of 2020. Chief EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said that “all EU policies will still apply” during the transition to a new relationship between London and Brussels after Britain leaves the bloc in March 2019. British Prime Minister Theresa […]

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