Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Friday that Scotland would soon return to the European Union Sturgeon made this known on her twitter page when she wrote, “Scotland will be back soon, Europe. Keep the light on,” She stressed that Scotland had voted against Brexit in 2016 and the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union took place against the will of the Scottish people. Sturgeon also called for holding a second referendum on Scottish...
Sweden said it would lift a temporary ban for passenger flights from Britain as of Jan. 1, but requires a negative coronavirus test for entry. The move was announced on Wednesday by Mikael Damberg, the Home Affairs Minister, after a cabinet meeting. The requirement for a test and the flight ban applied from Dec. 21 was introduced due to the new, apparently more transmissible variant of the coronavirus that appeared in Britain. Only test results...
Germany reported 13,755 more COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours on Sunday, bringing the national tally to 1,640,858, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). The nationwide death toll rose by 356 to 29,778, the data showed. Germany reported its first case of the new COVID-19 variant on Thursday in a woman, who flew in from Britain, local health authorities said. The patient arrived via Frankfurt airport on Dec. 20 and tested...
Britain and the European Union (EU) have reached a deal on their post-Brexit trade relations, British media reported on Thursday. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to confirm it at a press conference later, the reports said. Johnson is quoted by British media as saying that “the deal is “done.” “All of our key red lines about returning sovereignty have been achieved,” the BBC quoted an important government source as saying. Meanwhile, European Commission...
Germany has again surpassed its record of daily coronavirus infections, with the country’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for disease control reporting 11,287 new cases on Thursday. The previous record for cases recorded in a 24-hour period since the pandemic began was 7,830 on Saturday. Germany is currently reporting more daily coronavirus cases than at the start of the pandemic in March, although testing has been ramped up significantly since then. There were likely many more...
A sensational first half hat-trick from Ollie Watkins helped Aston Villa to a stunning 7-2 victory over Liverpool in the English Premier League (EPL) on Sunday. It was a result which not only ended the champions’ 100 per cent start to the season, but also was a severe humbling. Liverpool started badly at Villa Park as a poor pass from Adrian —- deputising for Alisson in goal for the visitors — gifted Watkins the opener...
French President Emmanuel Macron, in a September 22 UN General Assembly (UNGA) speech, made continued French military involvement contingent upon Mali’s restoration of civilian rule. He was blunt: “They (the junta) must put Mali on the irreversible path of returning to civilian power and organize rapid elections.” And, “France […] can only remain engaged on this condition.” As he has in the past, Macron was also clear that France has a low tolerance level for popular demonstrations against...
Polls closed in Italy late on Sunday in the first of two days of voting on a constitutional referendum over the slimming down of parliament. Voting is also on in local elections expected to favour the right-wing national opposition bloc. Voting continues on Monday, with polls opening at 7 am (0500 GMT) and closing at 3 pm. Results are expected later the same day. Some 51.6 million people are eligible to vote in the referendum...
Black Lives Matter protests in France and the United Kingdom have intensified the domestic debate over their countries’ past colonialism and present racism. Demonstrators, numbering in the thousands, have toppled memorials to historical figures associated with the slave trade and with colonial empires. In June, the protests spread to Belgium, with a crowd of about 10,000 in Brussels demonstrating against racism. On June 30, Belgian King Philippe, in a letter to Felix Tshisekedi, president of...
The British city of Leicester will see contact restrictions tightened up once again in a bid to stem the spread of the coronavirus, Health Secretary Matt Hancock told parliament on Monday. New infections in the city of some 350,000 people made up ten per cent of all cases in England in the last week, according to Hancock. Businesses will close in the city in England’s East Midlands starting Tuesday, with schools following suit in the...
