European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier
The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier stood firm on the need for checks on goods shipped from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland after Brexit, while insisting this would not amount to a new border, in an interview published on Sunday.
Negotiations on Britain's departure from the European Union are stalled on several issues, but primarily an Irish 'backstop' both sides agree is needed to avoid a hard border between the UK province of Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, an EU state.
Brussels insists that this in turn requires controls on goods shipped from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland, and is trying to overcome objections from among UK Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives and the Northern Ireland Unionists crucial to her government's parliamentary majority.
Several thousand people protested in Croatia's capital on Saturday over government plans to raise the retirement age to 67 and cut pensions for those who retire early.This week the government asked parliament to pass legislation lifting the retirement age of 65 from 2033 onwards, defending the reform as a step in efforts to make the pension system sustainable.The bill also includes a proposal to cut the pensions of people who stop working before reaching retirement age by about four percent per year."There is a lot of misery and bitterness in us. Isn't such a retirement proposal irresponsible towards our workers and pensioners?," Kresimir Sever, one of the leaders of the trade unions that organized the protest, told the crowd gathered in central Zagreb.Some of the demonstrators shouted "Thieves", and many held banners accusing the government of impoverishing pensioners and workers. "From school to unemployment, from work to graveyard" read one of the banners.Workers representing metal industry employees, nurses and other professions took turns to address the rally, saying they cannot work until the age of 67."I work in the rain and the burning sun. My legs and back have to carry hundreds of overloaded waste bins every day. I've already had a surgery on one knee, the other one will have to be treated soon," a worker from a waste collection and disposal company, who said his name was Elvis, told the gathering.Trade union leaders say the new law would particularly hurt older employees, who are often under pressure to retire earlier for health reasons or because the employers want to get rid of older staff. They have also pointed out that Croatians have a shorter life expectancy than people in many other European Union countries.The unions have vowed to launch a campaign for a nationwide referendum to be called over the pension reform proposal if the government rejects their demands to scrap the plan.For a referendum to take place, supporters of the ballot must collect the signatures of 10 percent of the electorate, equivalent to roughly 375,000 people.Economic analysts and researchers say Croatia cannot make its pension system sustainable in the long term without increasing the retirement age.Bosnia-Herzegovina commemorates 1st president's deathBosnia commemorates first President Izetbegovic
Croatians protest over government plan to raise retirement age
Six days after Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared, U.S. President Donald Trump tried to play down the crisis, saying "hopefully that will sort itself out".It did not, and on Oct. 10, amid a growing outcry, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and national security adviser John Bolton pressed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, in what one U.S. official described as a "stern" phone call, to identify who was responsible for Khashoggi's disappearance or death.Trump then seemed to give Saudi Arabia the benefit of the doubt, suggesting "rogue killers" may have been to blame and criticizing a growing view that this was a case of state murder.He changed his tone once again late this week, raising the prospect of sanctions against Riyadh.Trump: Congress to be involved in Khashoggi responseBut when Saudi Arabia finally admitted on Saturday that Khashoggi was dead, saying he was killed in a fight inside the consulate, Trump said the official explanation was "credible" even as Republican and Democratic lawmakers responded with anger and disbelief.Over the last two weeks, Trump has at times spoken of punishing Saudi Arabia but appeared reluctant to follow through against a close economic and security ally in the Middle East, a key player in ensuring the stability of global oil markets, and a major customer of arms deals that he says are "tremendous"."Trump's dug himself into a hole," said Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East adviser to both Democratic and Republican administrations. "He will have to take some kind of action."Behind the scenes, though, Trump's aides scrambled to craft a response, especially as the bipartisan outcry in the Washington establishment grew.Saudi prince behind Khashoggi murder: Ex-MI6 chiefWhen news of Khashoggi's disappearance first broke, aides made clear to White House chief of staff John Kelly that the case was not going away, two senior White House officials said.Kushner, who had cultivated a close personal relationship with the crown prince, commonly known as MbS, urged Trump to act with caution to avoid upsetting a critical strategic and economic relationship, a senior administration official said.Kushner was heavily involved in making Saudi Arabia Trump's first stop on his maiden international trip as president last year.As grim allegations emerged from Turkey about Khashoggi’s death and the Saudis stuck to their denials, Trump felt pressure from congressional Democrats and some of his own Republicans.US 'saddened' over confirmed death of Saudi journalistU.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican close to Trump, accused MbS of ordering Khashoggi's murder and called him a "wrecking ball" jeopardizing relations with the United States.When Riyadh came out with its official version of what happened inside the consulate, Graham quickly tweeted he was "skeptical of the new Saudi narrative".'NOT A U.S. CITIZEN'Trump sought to justify his muted response by pointing out the incident occurred in Turkey and that Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and columnist for the Washington Post, was "not a United States citizen".Critics accused Trump of trying to give the Saudis diplomatic cover and buy time for them to get their story straight, something Trump's aides denied.UN chief ‘deeply troubled’ by Khashoggi’s deathAt the same time, Peter Navarro, Trump’s White House trade chief and architect of his “Buy American” policy to ease restrictions on foreign arms sales, was stressing the importance of Saudi weapons deals and the implications for U.S. jobs, another administration official told Reuters.Trump repeatedly touted the $110 billion in weapons deals he announced during his visit to Saudi Arabia last year, and insisted around 500,000 U.S. jobs were at stake. Experts have dismissed the sales and jobs numbers as highly exaggerated.Some Trump aides raised doubts about the veracity of the Turkish government’s leaks of what it says happened to Khashoggi.But as the days dragged on and evidence of Khashoggi’s death mounted, Trump's view began to shift, White House officials said.Saudi Arabia sacks top officials over Khashoggi deathHe ordered Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to drop what he was doing and fly to Riyadh for talks at mid-week, and was then briefed by him at the White House on Thursday.Critics slammed Pompeo for appearing to hold court in a festive manner with MbS, undercutting the severity of the U.S. message.But one senior White House official countered, saying Pompeo told the Saudi royals that “you need to give us some legitimate information soon, people aren’t just going to let it drag on.'”Speaking to reporters during a trip to Arizona on Friday, Trump said he was ready to “listen to what Congress has to say” about actions to be taken in the Khashoggi case, yet also made clear he wanted to continue to protect defense contracts, and U.S. jobs dependent on them.Congress has already triggered a mechanism for the U.S. Treasury Department to consider human rights sanctions against Saudi Arabia and some lawmakers have vowed to block further arms sales to Riyadh, a move that Trump is likely to oppose.Saudi Arabia says Khashoggi died at Istanbul consulate
Trump a reluctant critic of Saudi Arabia despite pressure to act
"Contrary to what some are saying, this is not a border we are creating in the Irish Sea to undermine the integrity of the United Kingdom," Barnier told Le Journal du Dimanche.
Veterinary checks are already conducted on 10 percent of livestock transported to Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK, Barnier said. This would increase to 100 percent under the backstop, he added, but a later animal-health agreement could reduce the proportion inspected to 40 percent.
Barnier said other backstop measures were needed to prevent unauthorised Irish imports of goods such as chlorinated chicken, produced in the U.S. but outlawed by EU food standards.
He said other issues still preventing a deal include the demand by Brussels that the European Court of Justice should have jurisdiction over its implementation - as well as Britain's reluctance to address registered designations of origin for foodstuffs, such as champagne or Roquefort cheese.
European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said Saturday that an international investigation is urgently needed to examine evidence and clarify circumstances surrounding the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi."Rigorous, international investigation urgently needed to examine evidence, clarify circumstances surrounding death of Jamal Khashoggi," Tajani said in a tweet.Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing since entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.Britain considering 'next steps' after Saudi Arabia admits journalist's deathEarlier Saturday, Saudi Arabia confirmed that Khashoggi died after a brawl inside the consulate.On the day of Khashoggi’s disappearance, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while he was still inside, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.A joint Turkish-Saudi team completed an investigation into the case on Thursday after searching the residence of the consul general as well as the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.UAE voices support for Saudi king statement on journalist's deathSaudi senior scholars praise king's decisions on Khashoggi deathTrump a reluctant critic of Saudi Arabia despite pressure to act
European Parliament urges investigation on Khashoggi
The European Union's executive has approved Greece's first post-bailout draft budget without requiring the implementation of legislated pension cuts, the Greek prime minister said on Saturday.Athens emerged from its final international bailout in August and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has pushed to rescind unpopular pension cuts slated for January as part of austerity measures, claiming there is ample fiscal space to do so.Trailing the conservative opposition in polls, Tsipras is counting on a less austere budget to win over voters next year, when his term expires. "The European Commission approved the Greek budget without pension cuts after eight years of austerity," Tsipras said, calling the development a "success".There was no immediate comment from the EU's executive.The government has argued it does not need to implement the pension cuts agreed with creditors, as it aims to outperform on primary surplus targets for a fifth straight year.Greece has promised its euro zone lenders and the International Monetary Fund it will achieve a 3.5 percent of GDP primary budget surplus this year, excluding debt servicing outlays.In its draft 2019 budget it targets a surplus of 4.14 percent of GDP next year. If it does not apply the pension cuts it puts the figure at 3.56 percent.The draft budget projects economic growth will pick up to 2.5 percent in 2019 from an expected 2.1 percent this year.The government is now expected to submit its final draft next month and put it on a parliamentary vote in December.Greek PM rules out snap polls after foreign minister quitsGreek population may shrink by 1.4M by 2035: Report
Greek PM says EU Commission approved Greek budget without pension cuts
European Union and the United Nations have expressed support for the Sochi agreement between Russia and Turkey on the stabilization of Syria, the EU said on Friday.Following a meeting of Special UN Syria Envoy Staffan de Mistura and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini in Brussels, a statement said the representatives "discussed the latest developments in the Syria crisis, particularly the situation in Idlib."According to the statement, Mistura and Mogherini highlighted "the need for a full implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding that was reached by the Presidents of Russia and of Turkey."Germany hopeful of Syria summit in IstanbulIt said: "Furthermore, they stressed the importance of the establishment of the constitutional committee in order to restart the process for a credible, political transition in Syria.""In particular, the High Representative and the Special Envoy discussed ways in which the European Union can support this process, including in the run up to the Brussels III Conference next spring.Mogherini also expressed the full support of the EU for Mistura's work ahead of his visit to the Syrian capital Damascus, where he intends to advance preparations to convey the first meeting of the constitutional committee in November.Turkey opens vocational training school in SyriaFollowing a meeting in Russia’s port city of Sochi last month between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the two countries agreed to establish the Idlib demilitarized zone.Ankara and Moscow also signed a memorandum of understanding calling for the “stabilization” of Idlib's de-escalation zone, in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.Russia's Putin to discuss Syrian refugees at summit in Istanbul'Istanbul summit on Syria aimed at avoiding new humanitarian disaster'
EU, UN agree Sochi deal must be ‘fully implemented’