Friday, March 29

Month: March 2017

EU won’t pursue harsh divorce settlement because Brexit is punitive enough
ENGLISH, Europe

EU won’t pursue harsh divorce settlement because Brexit is punitive enough

    Donald Tusk says the EU won't pursue a punitive divorce settlement with the UK because Brexit is punitive enough. The European Council President said the UK will have to wait to start negotiating a trade deal until after the divorce deal has made sufficient progress. And he said the idea Theresa May sought to use international terror security as a bargaining chip in the negotiations must be a misunderstanding. In draft negotiation guidelines issued to the 27 remaining member states today, Mr Tusk announced a phased approach to negotiations. He spoke firmly in a press conference in Valetta, Malta, insisting parallel negotiations will not happen. He said: We treat [the principles announced today] as fundamental and will stand by them. And he said reciprocal, enforceable guar...
Angry Trump tells Freedom Caucus to get on the team after healthcare failure
America, ENGLISH

Angry Trump tells Freedom Caucus to get on the team after healthcare failure

    Donald Trump Donald Trump has issued an ultimatum to the hard right of the Republican party, warning them to get on the team or face consequences at the ballot box. The US president tweeted on Thursday: The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don’t get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018! In a disastrous setback to his agenda, Trump’s bid to repeal and replace Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law crumbled last week after he failed to convince a number of House members, including most of the Freedom Caucus, to support it. Trump initially blamed Democrats for not backing the new bill, but he has since shifted his focus to take swipes at the Freedom Caucus. His tweet carried the implied threat that he will support chal...
American Airlines pilot dies after medical episode on flight
America, ENGLISH

American Airlines pilot dies after medical episode on flight

    An American Airlines pilot died after having a medical episode just before landing in Albuquerque. The Albuquerque Journal reports (http://bit.ly/2oBo8K5) that the captain declared a medical emergency on flight 1353 a couple of minutes before landing at Albuquerque International Sunport on Wednesday evening. A spokesman for the airline tells the newspaper that the captain landed the flight from Dallas-Fort Worth without incident. The plane taxied normally to a gate and was met by paramedics. American Airlines first officer William Mike Grubbs was pronounced dead. There was no immediate word on a cause of death. In 2015, an American Airlines pilot died on a flight from Phoenix to Boston.
Former Trump adviser Mike Flynn tells FBI he is willing to be interviewed on President’s possible links to Russia
ENGLISH, Europe

Former Trump adviser Mike Flynn tells FBI he is willing to be interviewed on President’s possible links to Russia

    Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn Donald Trump's former national security adviser Mike Flynn has told officials he is willing to be interviewed in an ongoing probe into possible links between the President's team and Russia, according to a US newspaper report. Mr Flynn, who was fired for failing to disclose talks with Russia's ambassador about US sanctions on Moscow, has also informed the House and Senate intelligence committees that he will cooperate with the investigation into the Trump campaign's potential ties to the Kremlin. The report in The Wall Street Journal cited unnamed officials with knowledge of the matter. It said Mr Flynn had agreed to be interviewed in return for the promise of immunity from prosecution. His lawyer reportedly made the offer to ...
UK takes back the right to deport as Britain repeals powers from EU
ENGLISH, United Kingdom

UK takes back the right to deport as Britain repeals powers from EU

    Prime Minister Theresa May speaks in the House of Commons Britain has begun to take back control from Brussels as David Davis announced that the first EU law to be scrapped after Brexit will be a charter that helps criminals avoid deportation. Revealing details of the forthcoming Great Repeal Bill, Mr Davis told MPs that the controversial EU Charter of Fundamental Rights will be dropped on the day Britain leaves Europe. MPs cheered in the House of Commons as the Brexit Secretary told them Britain would be regaining the sovereignty it last enjoyed in 1972. He said: “A strong, independent country needs control of its own laws. That process starts now.” A day after Theresa May began the Brexit process by invoking Article 50, European leaders entrenched their positions on thei...
Donald and Melania Trump are doing just fine, according to a friend
America, ENGLISH

Donald and Melania Trump are doing just fine, according to a friend

    Donald and Melania Trump are doing just fine, according to a friend Despite recent rumours that President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have been going through a rough patch, a close friend of the couple insists that this isn't the case. In an interview with the Washington Post on Monday, Karen LeFrak - a longtime friend of the couple and wife of developer Richard LeFrak - was asked how Trump was adjusting to her new role as first lady, and how the change has affected her marriage, if at all. Mrs. Trump is enjoying her life and new role, she said, adding that [she and her husband] are very happy! Their relationship is great. All these rabid rumours about her and their relationship are laughable and fictional, she continued. LeFrak went on to insist that the fir...
A International Airport renamed in Ronaldo honour
ENGLISH, Europe

A International Airport renamed in Ronaldo honour

    Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo stands past a bust presented during a ceremony where Madeira's airport in Funchal is to be renamed after Cristiano Ronaldo, on Madeira island, on 29 March, 2017. Ronaldo had an international airport renamed in his honour on Wednesday but it was a newly unveiled bust of him that soon became a major talking point. Five thousand screaming fans, the Portuguese talisman himself and the country’s prime minister and the president were all in attendance at the airport of Madeira, the island where Ronaldo was born. To see this airport bear my name is a very special thing, said Ronaldo, 32, who skippered Portugal to victory in the European championships last year. Everyone knows I am proud of my roots. Real Madrid star Ronaldo, speaking at a n...
Judge in Hawaii extends order blocking Trump’s travel ban
America, ENGLISH

Judge in Hawaii extends order blocking Trump’s travel ban

    A federal judge in Hawaii decided Wednesday to extend his order blocking President Donald Trump's travel ban. U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson issued the longer-lasting hold on the ban just hours after hearing arguments. Hawaii says the policy discriminates against Muslims and hurts the state's tourist-dependent economy. The implied message in the revised ban is like a "neon sign flashing 'Muslim ban, Muslim ban'" that the government didn't bother to turn off, state Attorney General Douglas Chin told the judge. Extending the temporary order until the state's lawsuit was resolved would ensure the constitutional rights of Muslim citizens across the U.S. are vindicated after "repeated stops and starts of the last two months," the state has said. The government says the ban ...
News brief From Bangladesh High Commission London
ENGLISH, London

News brief From Bangladesh High Commission London

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged the people of all strata to resist terrorism and militancy. The Premier told this at a mammoth public rally in Faridpur yesterday afternoon. Earlier, the Premier inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of 33 development projects from the meeting venue. Prime Minister said her government has been working tirelessly to ensure basic needs of the people including food, healthcare, education, clothes and housing. The Premier also said her government re-opened the community clinics, and currently people are receiving healthcare services from 18,337 such clinics and union health centers. The Premier said this while World Health Organisation Regional Director for Southeast Asia Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh H...
Bangladeshi girl receives Women of Courage award from US
America, ENGLISH

Bangladeshi girl receives Women of Courage award from US

    Sharmin Akter, a Bangladeshi young activist against early and forced marriage, has received 2017 International Women of Courage (IWOC) Award from US First Lady Melania Trump and the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas A Shannon. At only 15 years of age, Sharmin Akter courageously resisted her mother’s attempts to marry her off and secured the precious right to continue her education, setting a bright example for teenage girls across South Asia facing similar pressures, reports UNB. Bangladesh has one of the world’s highest rates of child marriage, a trend that threatens the health, safety, and education of millions of girls and undermines the country’s progress. The award-giving ceremony was held at the US Department of State at 11am (Washington time) on ...