Britain’s Labour Party had ‘constructive’ Brexit talks with PM May
Britain’s opposition Labour Party said on Wednesday it had had constructive discussions with Prime Minister Theresa May on breaking the Brexit deadlock.
EU
UK Parliament backs bill pushing further Brexit delay as May, Corbyn seek new plan
Britain’s Brexit drama went into overtime Wednesday as Prime Minister Theresa May and the country’s main opposition sought a compromise deal to prevent an abrupt British departure from the European Union at the end of next week.
Senate goes nuclear to speed up Trump nominees
Unable to work out a bipartisan deal to speed up Trump administration nominees, the Senate Republican majority changed the chamber’s rules on Wednesday to shorten debate time over the objections of Democrats.
Britain, France, Germany seek UN report on Iran missile development
Britain, France, and Germany accused Iran of developing missile technology in contravention of a UN resolution, and called for a full UN report on recent activities, according to a letter released Tuesday.
EU Official Says No-Deal Brexit Becoming More Likely
European Union chief negotiator Michel Barnier said Tuesday that Britain is getting closer and closer to having its exit from the EU go forward with no deal in place on the terms of its withdrawal.
U.S. considering additional Iran sanctions, perhaps in May
The U.S. government is considering additional sanctions against Iran that would target areas of its economy that have not been hit before, a senior Trump administration official told reporters on Monday.
U.S. disaster aid won’t cover crops drowned by Midwest floods
The Black Hawk military helicopter flew over Iowa, giving a senior U.S. agriculture official and U.S. senator an eyeful of the flood damage below, where yellow corn from ruptured metal silos spilled out into the muddy water.
Colorado passes bill to seize guns from people deemed threat to self, others
The Colorado legislature on Monday passed a ‘red flag’ bill that would allow those deemed a threat to have their firearms seized, despite opposition by most of the state’s sheriffs and threats of legal challenges.
IDF, US wrap up air defense exercise; THAAD anti-missile system to leave Israel
The Israel Defense Forces and American military on Sunday completed a four-week air defense exercise that saw the deployment of the United States’ most advanced missile defense system in Israel for the first time.
UK’s May risks ‘total collapse’ of government in Brexit impasse
British Prime Minister Theresa May risks the ‘total collapse’ of her government if she fails to get her battered Brexit deal through parliament, the Sunday Times newspaper said, amid growing speculation that she might call an early election.
More than 1 million acres of U.S. cropland ravaged by floods
At least 1 million acres (405,000 hectares) of U.S. farmland were flooded after the ‘bomb cyclone’ storm left wide swaths of nine major grain producing states under water this month, satellite data analyzed by Gro Intelligence for Reuters showed.
Brexit in meltdown: Theresa May under pressure to forge softer divorce deal
Britain’s exit from the European Union was in disarray after the implosion of Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit strategy left her under pressure from rival factions to leave without a deal, go for an election or forge a much softer divorce.
Venezuelans rally to protest chronic power outages
Thousands of Venezuelan opposition sympathizers protested on Saturday against recurring blackouts that crippled much of the country this month and have aggravated the OPEC nation’s economic and social crisis.
Georgia lawmakers pass heartbeat abortion ban, joining four other U.S. states
Georgia’s Republican-controlled legislature on Friday passed one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the United States, outlawing abortion if a doctor is able to detect a heartbeat.
Turkey: Air-Defense Purchase from Russia ‘Done Deal’
Turkey will honor its air-defense deal with Russia despite warnings from Washington, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said following talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.
U.S., China resume trade talks in Beijing after ‘productive working dinner’
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Friday he had a ‘productive working dinner’ the previous night in Beijing, kicking off a day of talks aimed at resolving the bitter trade dispute between the world’s two largest economies.
Report: US approves sale of nuclear power technology to Saudi Arabia
The US has approved the sale of nuclear power technology to Saudi Arabia, the Reuters news agency reported on Thursday.
U.S. senators introduce bill to stop transfer of F-35 fighters to Turkey
Four U.S. senators on Thursday introduced a bipartisan bill to prohibit the transfer of F-35 fighter aircraft to Turkey until the U.S. government certifies that Ankara will not take delivery of a Russian S-400 air defense system, a statement on the move said.
U.S. lawmakers introduce bill to stop NSA’s mass data collection
Republican and Democratic U.S. lawmakers introduced a bill on Thursday that would end the collection of Americans’ phone records by the National Security Agency in an effort to undo a widely criticized security measure passed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
British Parliament Rejects Alternatives to PM May’s Brexit Plan
Britain’s Parliament on Wednesday turned down multiple alternatives to the government’s twice-rejected deal for leaving the European Union, leaving the future of Brexit more uncertain than ever.