Category Archives: European Union

Oxfam condemns EU over ‘inhumane’ Lesbos refugee camp

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Violence so bad that women wear nappies at night to avoid leaving tents, report says

The EU has been strongly criticised over conditions in Greece’s largest refugee camp, where Oxfam reported women are wearing nappies at night for fear of leaving their tents to go to the toilet.

The British-based NGO described the increasingly dangerous state of the EU-sponsored Moria camp on the island of Lesbos, where a 24-year-old man from Cameroon was found dead in the early hours of Tuesday as temperatures fell below freezing.

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Trump administration downgrades EU’s status in US, without informing Brussels

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Downgrade of diplomatic role seen as a snub reflecting a general antipathy to the EU in the Trump administration

The Trump administration has downgraded the diplomatic status of the EU mission in Washington, without informing the mission or Brussels, officials confirmed on Tuesday.

Related: Trump calls European Union a 'foe' – ahead of Russia and China

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May hopes Japanese PM will back Brexit stance in London visit

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Shinzō Abe will first visit the Netherlands, where many Japanese firms are relocating ahead of Brexit

Japan’s prime minister, Shinzō Abe, who is to meet Theresa May in London on Thursday, will underscore the damage Brexit is likely to have on Japanese investment in Britain by first visiting the Netherlands, the country to which many UK-based Japanese firms are redeploying ahead of the UK’s departure from the EU.

The choice of the Netherlands as the other stop on Abe’s mini-European tour is not a coincidence since he will also be given a chance to be briefed on how a no-deal Brexit could clog the flow of trade into Rotterdam, the main gateway for Japanese and British firms into the EU single market.

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Iran behind two assassinations in Netherlands – minister

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Foreign minister says there is ‘strong’ evidence Iran directed killings of two Dutch nationals

Iran has been accused by the Dutch government of directing two political assassinations in the Netherlands, triggering EU sanctions against Tehran’s military intelligence service.

The two murders are alleged to have taken place in broad daylight in 2015 in Almere, a city east of Amsterdam, and in 2017 on a street close to the Dutch foreign ministry in The Hague.

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May hopes for EU assurance before Brexit meaningful vote

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Brussels says PM likely to be offered ‘exchange of letters’ confirming EU’s intention to quickly conclude trade talks

Theresa May hopes to secure last-minute assurances from the European Union before next Tuesday’s meaningful vote over Brexit, although there are significant differences between the sides and scepticism that rebel Tories can be won over.

Brussels sources said at lunchtime on Monday that the prime minister was likely to be offered an “exchange of letters” confirming the EU’s intention to quickly conclude trade talks with the UK.

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No-deal Brexit: plan to use airfield as lorry park to get live test

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Up to 150 lorries to be used in Kent test of government plans to cope with border disruption

Preparations for the possibility of a no-deal Brexit will include up to 150 lorries queuing up near Dover during rush hour to test plans to deal with any disruption caused by new border customs checks, the government has confirmed.

Hauliers in the area will be asked to take part in Monday’s live test of a mass “HGV holding facility” that is designed to deal with any backlog after the UK leaves the EU in March.

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May and Juncker speak as she struggles to break Brexit impasse

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No 10 refuses to provide details of call, with PM battling to obtain assurances on backstop

Theresa May has spoken to Jean-Claude Juncker as part of her effort to obtain further written reassurances that the Irish border backstop in her Brexit deal would never come into force.

The phone call between the prime minister and the European commission president on Friday was described by Brussels as “friendly” but Downing Street refused to provide any further details, as May struggles to break the Brexit impasse.

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Police reinforcements for Northern Ireland in case of no-deal Brexit

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Almost 1,000 officers from rest of UK to start training to deal with trouble arising from hard border

Almost 1,000 police officers from England and Scotland are to begin training for deployment in Northern Ireland in case of disorder from a no-deal Brexit, the Guardian has learned.

The plans were put in place after Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) chiefs asked for reinforcements to deal with any trouble that arises from a hard border. The training for officers from English forces and Police Scotland is expected to begin this month.

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Corbyn defies calls from within Labour to back second Brexit referendum

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Party leader says Theresa May should return to Brussels to secure new deal with full customs union

Jeremy Corbyn will defy calls to change course on the party’s Brexit policy ahead of parliament’s vote on the deal, insisting that the government should secure a new deal with the EU if MPs reject Theresa May’s agreement.

Under increasing pressure from Labour members and MPs to reconsider his approach as preparations for the delayed “meaningful vote” ramp up over the next week, Corbyn said on Wednesday that the party’s policy remained “sequential” and that no decision could be made on a second referendum until parliament voted down the deal on offer.

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Most Labour members believe Corbyn should back second Brexit vote

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Nearly 90% of party members would opt to stay in the EU in a ‘people’s vote’, finds survey

Labour members are significantly more opposed to Brexit than Jeremy Corbyn is, with 72% of them thinking their leader should fully support a second referendum, according to a study of attitudes in the party.

The polling, part of an ongoing wider academic study into attitudes in various parties, found that only 18% opposed Labour campaigning for a second referendum, while 88% would then opt for remain if such a vote was held.

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