Author: Fworld

As thousands of pro-independence protesters poured into the streets of Barcelona for a fourth straight day Thursday, the president of Spain’s Catalonia region vowed to push for a new independence referendum within two years.    Quim Torra also condemned the violence that has marred the protests, saying the separatist cause was a peaceful movement.    Catalan …

European Union leaders are hoping the British Parliament will vote in favor of the latest Brexit deal when it comes before the lawmakers Saturday, but opposition parties are already saying they won’t.Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the EU reached agreement early Thursday, two weeks before Johnson vowed to pull out of the EU, deal or …

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday pushed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a cease-fire to end his military assault against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, an offensive Erdogan initiated after President Donald Trump withdrew nearly all American troops from the battlefront.Pence, accompanied by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House National Security …

Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate toured Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore on Thursday, where they are set to visit a cancer hospital previously visited by William’s mother, the late Princess Diana.   The hospital was started by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, whose first wife Jemima Goldsmith was a friend of the late …

The European Union and the British government have clinched a new deal setting the terms of Britain’s exit from the bloc.However, it needs to be approved by the British parliament in order to take effect and Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party does not have a majority in the House of Commons.Below are reactions from …

Britain’s efforts to agree to an amicable divorce from the European Union were hanging by a thread Thursday as leaders headed to Brussels for a crunch summit.EU and UK negotiators had worked overnight on a compromise withdrawal deal that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson hoped to present to his counterparts.But, as dawn broke over Brussels, …

Britain and the European Union reached a last-ditch Brexit deal on Thursday, just hours before an EU summit that is expected to give it a seal of approval.But Prime Minister Boris Johnson will still have to take the accord to a sceptical British parliament for its backing on Saturday, and it is far from certain …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged Wednesday to continue a military operation into Syria, despite calls from Washington for a cease-fire.    Erdogan’s pledge came ahead of high-level visit led by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The visit reportedly was arranged during a call between Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump.    Trump …

Syrian forces on Wednesday night rolled into the strategic border town of Kobani, blocking one path for the Turkish military to establish a “safe zone” free of Syrian Kurdish fighters along the frontier as part of its week-old offensive.The seizure of Kobani by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad also pointed to a dramatic …

A British couple grieving over their son’s death in a car accident say they feel they were “ambushed” when U.S. President Donald Trump tried to get them to meet with the American woman who caused the fatal crash.“If there’s going to be a meeting like that, it should not involve a surprise jack-in-the-box pop-out-of-a-circus-tent meeting …

President Donald Trump urged Italy on Wednesday to increase its defense spending as he welcomed Italian President Sergio Mattarella to the White House.Trump says Italy is only spending 1.1 percent of its gross domestic product on defense, short of a goal set by NATO allies of spending 2 percent. However, Trump also says Italy has …

A British couple whose son was killed in a traffic accident involving a U.S. diplomat’s wife has balked at President Donald Trump’s surprise effort to have them meet with the woman at the White House, saying they would only talk with her if she returns to Britain to face charges.Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn met …

President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Angela Merkel sought Wednesday to demonstrate the solidity of the French-German relationship at a meeting in southern France, one day before a key EU summit that may approve a divorce deal with Britain.   They started with a visit to the headquarters of plane-maker Airbus, widely seen as a symbol …

France has confirmed that a second French academic is being detained in Iran, condemning what it described as “an unacceptable situation.”Roland Marchal was arrested in June, at the same time as Fariba Adelkhah, a dual French and Iranian citizen, France’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.Both are senior researchers from Paris’s prestigious Sciences Po university. It was …

The impeachment inquiry is revealing vivid new details about the high-level unease over President Donald Trump’s actions toward Ukraine and those of his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani as the swift-moving probe by House Democrats shows no signs of easing.   The testimony from the witnesses, mainly officials from the State Department and other foreign policy …

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is heading a U.S. delegation traveling to Turkey on Wednesday on behalf of President Donald Trump. The delegation, which also includes Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, United States National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien, and Ambassador James Jeffrey is tasked with persuading Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to reach an immediate …

Protesters and police clashed late on Tuesday in Barcelona during rallies against the jailing of nine Catalan separatist leaders, with the unusually tense confrontations turning into a major challenge for Spanish and regional authorities.Protesters threw cans, stones and flares at riot police, and set garbage containers and cardboard on fire in the middle of several …

European Union officials hoped to sketch out a Brexit deal with Britain within hours, but negotiations stretched into early Wednesday in the latest effort at producing an agreement in more than three years of false starts and sudden reversals.   The bloc said it might be possible to strike a divorce deal by Thursday’s EU …

Nigeria has closed its land borders to all movement of goods and has no timeline for reopening them, the head of the nation’s customs agency said, as part of an effort to curb smuggling.”All goods for now are banned from being exported or imported through our land borders and that is to ensure we have …

U.S. sanctions on Turkey over its Syrian military offensive are being dismissed by the political leadership in Ankara, as financial markets shrug off the measures.Sanctions were announced against Turkish officials on Monday as negotiations on a $100 billion trade deal ended. While a tariff on Turkish steel was doubled to 50%, U.S. Vice President Mike …

Russia moved to fill the void left by the United States in northern Syria on Tuesday, deploying troops to keep apart advancing Syrian government forces and Turkish troops. At the same time, tensions grew within NATO as Turkey defied growing condemnation of its invasion from its Western allies.Now in its seventh day, Turkey’s offensive against …

Germany has released draft security guidelines for next generation wireless networks that stop short of banning Huawei, as the U.S. warned again it would reconsider intelligence sharing with allies that use the Chinese company’s equipment.The Federal Network Agency issued rules on Tuesday laying out conditions for suppliers for new 5G networks.They include certifying critical components …

Relatives of French jihadists and their families held in Syria say the Turkish offensive and the ensuing advance of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces have added to the urgency of bringing them home.Hundreds of radicalized French men and women traveled to Syria to join IS at the peak of the group’s dominance, sometimes taking their …

New disruptions to Catalonia’s transportation network on Tuesday followed a night of clashes between activists and police over the conviction of separatist leaders, as Spanish authorities announced an investigation into the group organizing the protests.Authorities said that three people were arrested and more than 170 others injured, including about 40 police officers and a person …

The German government recently unveiled a plan to tax carbon emissions from cars and buildings. It’s a big move in a country known for its fast cars, but whose young people are demanding climate friendly transportation. One way Germany hopes to reduce its carbon footprint – and appease the young climate activists – is by …

The Trump administration is set to impose economic sanctions on Turkey, potentially as early as this week, for its military incursion into Syria. Ankara launched the offensive last week, after President Donald Trump abruptly pulled American forces from Northern Syria, where they had kept a fragile peace among competing forces. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara …