Theresa May: Brexit won't be easier if I'm ousted
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-46250607
Theresa May has told her critics that getting rid of her as PM would not make delivering Brexit any easier.
Mrs May defended last week's draft agreement for leaving the EU and said there was a "critical" week ahead.
She suggested agreeing more details of UK's future relationship with the EU, ahead of an expected summit next week, could satisfy the concerns of some of the Tory MPs opposed to her plans.
Ex-Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said the UK was being "bullied" by the EU.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said his party could get a better deal in time for Brexit, which is due to happen on 29 March.
Jeremy Corbyn to set out Labour alternative to PM's Brexit plan
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/nov/18/jeremy-corbyn-to-set-out-labour-alternative-to-pms-brexit-plan
Jeremy Corbyn will set out Labour’s “good Brexit plan” on Monday, saying that leaving the European Union must be the catalyst for a “radical programme of investment and real change” as the party steps up efforts to show it has an alternative to Theresa May’s approach.
Speaking to business leaders at the CBI’s annual conference in London, which will also be addressed by the prime minister, Corbyn will claim May’s deal, published last week, would “leave the country in an indefinite halfway house without a real say over our future”.
Instead, he will say, “a good Brexit plan for this country is not just about what can be negotiated with Brussels. It must also include a radical programme of investment and real change across our regions and nations.
“Brexit should be the catalyst to invest in our regions and infrastructure, bringing good jobs and real control to local communities and people.”
His words are likely to infuriate those Labour MPs who believe the party’s stance should be to seek to block Brexit by pressing for a referendum on May’s deal – with the option of remaining in the EU on the ballot paper.
Corbyn played down that suggestion on Sunday, telling Sky News’ Sophy Ridge: “It’s an option for the future, but it’s not an option for today. If there was a referendum tomorrow, what’s it going to be on, what’s the question going to be?”
Asked how he might vote in such a referendum, Corbyn said, “I don’t know how I am going to vote, what the options would be at that time.”
國際時事政治選舉新聞張貼及討論區（五）
Filibuster_HK
992 回覆
52 Like
1 Dislike
第 1 頁第 2 頁第 3 頁第 4 頁第 5 頁第 6 頁第 7 頁第 8 頁第 9 頁第 10 頁第 11 頁第 12 頁第 13 頁第 14 頁第 15 頁第 16 頁第 17 頁第 18 頁第 19 頁第 20 頁第 21 頁第 22 頁第 23 頁第 24 頁第 25 頁第 26 頁第 27 頁第 28 頁第 29 頁第 30 頁第 31 頁第 32 頁第 33 頁第 34 頁第 35 頁第 36 頁第 37 頁第 38 頁第 39 頁第 40 頁
Trump does not want to hear tape of 'vicious' Khashoggi murder
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-khashoggi-trump/trump-does-not-want-to-hear-tape-of-vicious-khashoggi-murder-idUSKCN1NN0MM
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he does not want to listen to an audio recording of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi despite facing mounting pressure to punish Saudi Arabia for the killing.
Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, and Turkey has given the U.S. government a recording of the murder, but Trump said he would not listen to it “because it’s a suffering tape, it’s a terrible tape.”
“I don’t want to hear the tape, no reason for me to hear the tape,” Trump said in an interview with “Fox News Sunday.”
“I know everything that went on in the tape without having to hear it ... It was very violent, very vicious and terrible.”
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-khashoggi-trump/trump-does-not-want-to-hear-tape-of-vicious-khashoggi-murder-idUSKCN1NN0MM
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he does not want to listen to an audio recording of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi despite facing mounting pressure to punish Saudi Arabia for the killing.
Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, and Turkey has given the U.S. government a recording of the murder, but Trump said he would not listen to it “because it’s a suffering tape, it’s a terrible tape.”
“I don’t want to hear the tape, no reason for me to hear the tape,” Trump said in an interview with “Fox News Sunday.”
“I know everything that went on in the tape without having to hear it ... It was very violent, very vicious and terrible.”
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/andrews-tipped-for-hefty-win-as-labor-surges-on-election-eve-20181122-p50hqe.html
Daniel Andrews’ Labor government is on course for a thumping win in Saturday’s election after extending its lead over its Coalition rivals in the latest exclusive opinion poll commissioned by The Age.
The poll predicts a Labor win on Saturday by 54 to 46 per cent of the statewide two-party preferred vote, a greater margin than it achieved in 2014.
This suggests that several Coalition seats are now in danger of falling to an increasingly confident ALP
Daniel Andrews’ Labor government is on course for a thumping win in Saturday’s election after extending its lead over its Coalition rivals in the latest exclusive opinion poll commissioned by The Age.
The poll predicts a Labor win on Saturday by 54 to 46 per cent of the statewide two-party preferred vote, a greater margin than it achieved in 2014.
This suggests that several Coalition seats are now in danger of falling to an increasingly confident ALP
Italy to resist budget pressure ahead of EU elections
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-budget-salvini/italy-to-resist-budget-pressure-ahead-of-eu-elections-idUSKCN1NR1ID?il=0
ROME (Reuters) - Italy said on Thursday it would resist pressure from Brussels to revise its big-spending budget, effectively daring EU authorities to punish it with fines ahead of May’s European parliamentary elections.
Leaders of Rome’s populist government said they would press ahead with expanding the deficit next year, a day after the European Commission kicked off disciplinary procedures against Italy over that plan in a dispute that has alarmed the whole euro zone.
“We will not take a backward step,” Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini told state-owned television Rai. “We’re not spending this money at random. The idea is for Italy to grow.”
His coalition partner and co-deputy prime minister, Luigi Di Maio of the anti-establishment 5-Star party, also said Rome would not back down before then.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-budget-salvini/italy-to-resist-budget-pressure-ahead-of-eu-elections-idUSKCN1NR1ID?il=0
ROME (Reuters) - Italy said on Thursday it would resist pressure from Brussels to revise its big-spending budget, effectively daring EU authorities to punish it with fines ahead of May’s European parliamentary elections.
Leaders of Rome’s populist government said they would press ahead with expanding the deficit next year, a day after the European Commission kicked off disciplinary procedures against Italy over that plan in a dispute that has alarmed the whole euro zone.
“We will not take a backward step,” Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini told state-owned television Rai. “We’re not spending this money at random. The idea is for Italy to grow.”
His coalition partner and co-deputy prime minister, Luigi Di Maio of the anti-establishment 5-Star party, also said Rome would not back down before then.
Brexit: Draft agreement on future relationship right for UK, says May
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-46300247
Theresa May has hailed the EU draft agreement on post-Brexit relations as "right for the whole of the UK," in a brief statement in Downing Street.
The political declaration - outlining how trade, security and other issues will work - has been "agreed in principle", the European Council says.
London and Brussels have already agreed the draft terms of the UK's exit from the EU on 29 March 2019.
The prime minister will make a statement to MPs at 15:00 GMT.
Mrs May, who has briefed her cabinet on the agreement in a conference call, said the agreement "delivers on the vote of the referendum."
"The British people want this to be settled. They want a good deal that sets us on course for a brighter future. That deal is within our grasp and I am determined to deliver it," she added.
"The British people want this to be settled. They want a good deal that sets us on course for a brighter future. That deal is within our grasp and I am determined to deliver it," she added.
Spain will vote against current Brexit draft proposal: diplomatic source
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-gibraltar-spain/spain-will-vote-against-current-brexit-draft-proposal-diplomatic-source-idUSKCN1NR1FX
MADRID (Reuters) - Spain will vote against the current Brexit draft proposal due to lack of clarity on the disputed British overseas territory of Gibraltar, a Spanish diplomatic source said on Thursday.
Spain wants it made clear in the text of the proposal that decisions on Gibraltar, a peninsular on the south of the Spanish mainland, must be agreed bilaterally between Spain and Britain, the source said.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-46300247
Theresa May has hailed the EU draft agreement on post-Brexit relations as "right for the whole of the UK," in a brief statement in Downing Street.
The political declaration - outlining how trade, security and other issues will work - has been "agreed in principle", the European Council says.
London and Brussels have already agreed the draft terms of the UK's exit from the EU on 29 March 2019.
The prime minister will make a statement to MPs at 15:00 GMT.
Mrs May, who has briefed her cabinet on the agreement in a conference call, said the agreement "delivers on the vote of the referendum."
"The British people want this to be settled. They want a good deal that sets us on course for a brighter future. That deal is within our grasp and I am determined to deliver it," she added.
"The British people want this to be settled. They want a good deal that sets us on course for a brighter future. That deal is within our grasp and I am determined to deliver it," she added.
Spain will vote against current Brexit draft proposal: diplomatic source
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-gibraltar-spain/spain-will-vote-against-current-brexit-draft-proposal-diplomatic-source-idUSKCN1NR1FX
MADRID (Reuters) - Spain will vote against the current Brexit draft proposal due to lack of clarity on the disputed British overseas territory of Gibraltar, a Spanish diplomatic source said on Thursday.
Spain wants it made clear in the text of the proposal that decisions on Gibraltar, a peninsular on the south of the Spanish mainland, must be agreed bilaterally between Spain and Britain, the source said.
Brexit political declaration fails to offer 'frictionless trade'
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/nov/22/brexit-political-declaration-fails-to-offer-frictionless-trade-theresa-may-chequers-plan
A joint document on Britain’s post-Brexit relationship with the EU fails to give hope of frictionless trade said to be vital to the British economy, but offers Theresa May arguments to bolster her hopes of selling the deal to the Brexiters in parliament.
A leaked 26-page political declaration, to be approved by EU leaders at a Brexit summit on Sunday, paints a picture of the future relationship that differs substantially from the proposals made by the prime minister at Chequers in the summer.
According to the declaration the two sides “envisage having a trading relationship on goods that is as close as possible”, but the EU and the UK will be separate markets with inevitable barriers to trade, and there is no reference to a common rulebook.
The document does reassert the plan for both sides to “build and improve on the single customs territory” already negotiated in the withdrawal agreement.
The UK has accepted in the withdrawal agreement, approved by both sides, that the country will stay in a customs union with the EU should a trade deal that can avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland not be ready to come into force by the end of the transition period.
The text reiterates the longstanding EU red line that British access to European markets will only be offered on the basis of “open and fair competition”. To gain a close economic relationship, the UK would have to respect EU standards on competition, tax, environment, as well as social and employment protection.
Following the leak an ERG source said: “The political declaration is not legally binding, vague, aspirational and little more than a smokescreen to cover up the fact that the permanent relationship is the Customs Union backstop.
“The withdrawal agreement gives away £39bn for no guaranteed free trade agreement in return. What it does guarantee is the UK would be stuck as a vassal state accepting EU laws and trade policy unless the EU decides to release us.”
Brexit: leaked political declaration in full
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/nov/22/brexit-leaked-political-declaration-in-full
Brexit: UK and EU reach agreement on beefed-up text covering future relationship - Politics live
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/live/2018/nov/22/brexit-talks-theresa-may-eu-hancock-rejects-claims-talks-are-in-trouble-saying-last-minute-hitches-normal-in-eu-negotiations-politics-live
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/nov/22/brexit-political-declaration-fails-to-offer-frictionless-trade-theresa-may-chequers-plan
A joint document on Britain’s post-Brexit relationship with the EU fails to give hope of frictionless trade said to be vital to the British economy, but offers Theresa May arguments to bolster her hopes of selling the deal to the Brexiters in parliament.
A leaked 26-page political declaration, to be approved by EU leaders at a Brexit summit on Sunday, paints a picture of the future relationship that differs substantially from the proposals made by the prime minister at Chequers in the summer.
According to the declaration the two sides “envisage having a trading relationship on goods that is as close as possible”, but the EU and the UK will be separate markets with inevitable barriers to trade, and there is no reference to a common rulebook.
The document does reassert the plan for both sides to “build and improve on the single customs territory” already negotiated in the withdrawal agreement.
The UK has accepted in the withdrawal agreement, approved by both sides, that the country will stay in a customs union with the EU should a trade deal that can avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland not be ready to come into force by the end of the transition period.
The text reiterates the longstanding EU red line that British access to European markets will only be offered on the basis of “open and fair competition”. To gain a close economic relationship, the UK would have to respect EU standards on competition, tax, environment, as well as social and employment protection.
Following the leak an ERG source said: “The political declaration is not legally binding, vague, aspirational and little more than a smokescreen to cover up the fact that the permanent relationship is the Customs Union backstop.
“The withdrawal agreement gives away £39bn for no guaranteed free trade agreement in return. What it does guarantee is the UK would be stuck as a vassal state accepting EU laws and trade policy unless the EU decides to release us.”
Brexit: leaked political declaration in full
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/nov/22/brexit-leaked-political-declaration-in-full
Brexit: UK and EU reach agreement on beefed-up text covering future relationship - Politics live
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/live/2018/nov/22/brexit-talks-theresa-may-eu-hancock-rejects-claims-talks-are-in-trouble-saying-last-minute-hitches-normal-in-eu-negotiations-politics-live
Labor WIN VIC Election
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-24/victorian-election-result-shows-labor-win/10551902
ABC election analyst Antony Green has declared Labor and Daniel Andrews have won the Victorian election, and that the Government would be returned with a comfortable majority.
The early results were a disaster for Matthew Guy’s Coalition.
“There is nothing in any figures we’re seeing at the moment which points to anything but a Labor victory,” Green told ABC TV.
“There’s no good news in these figures for the Liberal Party.”
Green said the swings to Labor in Melbourne’s east were reminiscent of John Cain’s 1982 election win.
“The swings in eastern Melbourne are consistent and very strong,” he said.
Health Minister Jill Hennessy said the result was “looking like a bloodbath”.
“I am surprised at the degree of the swing out in the eastern suburbs,” she said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-24/victorian-election-result-shows-labor-win/10551902
ABC election analyst Antony Green has declared Labor and Daniel Andrews have won the Victorian election, and that the Government would be returned with a comfortable majority.
The early results were a disaster for Matthew Guy’s Coalition.
“There is nothing in any figures we’re seeing at the moment which points to anything but a Labor victory,” Green told ABC TV.
“There’s no good news in these figures for the Liberal Party.”
Green said the swings to Labor in Melbourne’s east were reminiscent of John Cain’s 1982 election win.
“The swings in eastern Melbourne are consistent and very strong,” he said.
Health Minister Jill Hennessy said the result was “looking like a bloodbath”.
“I am surprised at the degree of the swing out in the eastern suburbs,” she said.
https://www.france24.com/en/20181123-video-revisited-ukraine-maidan-revolution-protests-kiev-corruption-russia
The "Winter on Fire" of 2013-2014 saw Ukrainians oust a kleptocratic leader in violent protests, in the name of closer ties with the EU and adherence to its values of good governance. What did they achieve? Our reporter Gulliver Cragg, who covered the protests at the time, went to meet some of those whose lives were profoundly affected by Ukraine's Maidan Revolution.
When Ukrainian protesters first took to Maidan Square in central Kiev in November 2013, few believed they could actually get rid of President Viktor Yanukovich. But when they finally did, in February 2014 after exactly three months camped out in freezing temperatures on the Square, the joy was mitigated by grief. The protests had shown how people could come together and brought out a spirit of collective action and solidarity that was a wonder to behold, but they had also turned violent, and in the end more than a hundred protesters had been killed.
The "Winter on Fire" of 2013-2014 saw Ukrainians oust a kleptocratic leader in violent protests, in the name of closer ties with the EU and adherence to its values of good governance. What did they achieve? Our reporter Gulliver Cragg, who covered the protests at the time, went to meet some of those whose lives were profoundly affected by Ukraine's Maidan Revolution.
When Ukrainian protesters first took to Maidan Square in central Kiev in November 2013, few believed they could actually get rid of President Viktor Yanukovich. But when they finally did, in February 2014 after exactly three months camped out in freezing temperatures on the Square, the joy was mitigated by grief. The protests had shown how people could come together and brought out a spirit of collective action and solidarity that was a wonder to behold, but they had also turned violent, and in the end more than a hundred protesters had been killed.
Polling stations for parliamentary elections open across Bahrain
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bahrain-election-polls/polling-stations-for-parliamentary-elections-open-across-bahrain-idUSKCN1NT05Q
CAIRO (Reuters) - Polling stations opened on Saturday at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) across Bahrain for 2018 parliamentary elections, Bahrain news agency reported. Polls will remain open until 8 p.m. (1700 GMT).
The government said 506 candidates are running in the election, including the highest number of female candidates. It expects a higher voter turnout than in 2014, which it put at 53 percent.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bahrain-election-polls/polling-stations-for-parliamentary-elections-open-across-bahrain-idUSKCN1NT05Q
CAIRO (Reuters) - Polling stations opened on Saturday at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) across Bahrain for 2018 parliamentary elections, Bahrain news agency reported. Polls will remain open until 8 p.m. (1700 GMT).
The government said 506 candidates are running in the election, including the highest number of female candidates. It expects a higher voter turnout than in 2014, which it put at 53 percent.
Erdogan's AKP gets local election boost from nationalists
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-politics-nationalists/erdogans-akp-gets-local-election-boost-from-nationalists-idUSKCN1NT0CU
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey’s nationalist MHP will support President Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party candidates in local elections in three key cities next year, the MHP leader said on Saturday, in a boost to the AKP’s election prospects.
The AK Party and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) formed an alliance before presidential elections last June, but were subsequently at loggerheads over a disagreement about the MHP’s call for an amnesty for some jailed criminals.
The local elections themselves will have little impact on the balance of power in Turkey generally.
Under the presidential system ushered in by the June elections, Erdogan already wields extensive power. However his AK Party requires the support of MHP lawmakers to achieve a majority and push through legislation in parliament.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-politics-nationalists/erdogans-akp-gets-local-election-boost-from-nationalists-idUSKCN1NT0CU
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey’s nationalist MHP will support President Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party candidates in local elections in three key cities next year, the MHP leader said on Saturday, in a boost to the AKP’s election prospects.
The AK Party and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) formed an alliance before presidential elections last June, but were subsequently at loggerheads over a disagreement about the MHP’s call for an amnesty for some jailed criminals.
The local elections themselves will have little impact on the balance of power in Turkey generally.
Under the presidential system ushered in by the June elections, Erdogan already wields extensive power. However his AK Party requires the support of MHP lawmakers to achieve a majority and push through legislation in parliament.
French police fire tear gas at fuel price protesters
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-protests/french-police-fire-tear-gas-at-fuel-price-protesters-idUSKCN1NS2EC
PARIS (Reuters) - Police fired tear gas and used water cannon to disperse protesters in Paris who are angry over rising fuel costs and President Emmanuel Macron’s economic policies, the second weekend of “yellow vest” protests that have caused disruption across France.
Several hundred protesters had converged on the Champs Elysees where they faced police sent to prevent them from reaching the nearby presidential Elysee Palace.
Some protesters sang the national anthem while others carried signs with slogans saying “Macron, resignation” and “Macron, thief”.
For more than a week, protesters clad in the fluorescent yellow jackets that all motorists in France must have in their cars have blocked highways across the country with burning barricades and convoys of slow-moving trucks, obstructing access to fuel depots, shopping centers and some factories.
They are opposed to taxes Macron introduced last year on diesel and petrol which are designed to encourage people to shift to more environmentally friendly transport. Alongside the tax, the government has offered incentives to buy green or electric vehicles.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-protests/french-police-fire-tear-gas-at-fuel-price-protesters-idUSKCN1NS2EC
PARIS (Reuters) - Police fired tear gas and used water cannon to disperse protesters in Paris who are angry over rising fuel costs and President Emmanuel Macron’s economic policies, the second weekend of “yellow vest” protests that have caused disruption across France.
Several hundred protesters had converged on the Champs Elysees where they faced police sent to prevent them from reaching the nearby presidential Elysee Palace.
Some protesters sang the national anthem while others carried signs with slogans saying “Macron, resignation” and “Macron, thief”.
For more than a week, protesters clad in the fluorescent yellow jackets that all motorists in France must have in their cars have blocked highways across the country with burning barricades and convoys of slow-moving trucks, obstructing access to fuel depots, shopping centers and some factories.
They are opposed to taxes Macron introduced last year on diesel and petrol which are designed to encourage people to shift to more environmentally friendly transport. Alongside the tax, the government has offered incentives to buy green or electric vehicles.
Brexit: Britain's Theresa May holds pre-summit talks
https://www.dw.com/en/brexit-britains-theresa-may-holds-pre-summit-talks/a-46437717
British Prime Minister Theresa May is to hold last-minute talks with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk on the eve of an EU summit that was threatened by Spanish objections to her deal on Britain's withdrawal from the bloc.
Spain had threatened to veto the deal unless the wording was changed to give Madrid guarantees that it alone can decide on the future of the disputed territory of Gibraltar in direct talks with London.
However, an agreement reached on Saturday between Spain, the EU and Britain removed obstacles to the summit, both sides said.
"We have reached an agreement on Gibraltar," Sanchez said.
May hopes to leave Brussels on Sunday with the terms of British withdrawal on March 29 and a comprehensive concept for future Britain-EU relations settled with the bloc.
https://www.dw.com/en/brexit-britains-theresa-may-holds-pre-summit-talks/a-46437717
British Prime Minister Theresa May is to hold last-minute talks with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk on the eve of an EU summit that was threatened by Spanish objections to her deal on Britain's withdrawal from the bloc.
Spain had threatened to veto the deal unless the wording was changed to give Madrid guarantees that it alone can decide on the future of the disputed territory of Gibraltar in direct talks with London.
However, an agreement reached on Saturday between Spain, the EU and Britain removed obstacles to the summit, both sides said.
"We have reached an agreement on Gibraltar," Sanchez said.
May hopes to leave Brussels on Sunday with the terms of British withdrawal on March 29 and a comprehensive concept for future Britain-EU relations settled with the bloc.
EU leaders agree UK's Brexit deal at Brussels summit
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-46334649
The UK’s withdrawal agreement from the European Union has been approved by EU leaders, its chief official Donald Tusk has announced.
The 27 leaders gave it their backing after less than an hour's discussion in Brussels.
Mr Tusk signalled on Saturday that the deal would be approved after Spain withdrew last-minute concerns over Gibraltar.
The deal needs to be approved by the UK Parliament, with many MPs opposed.
Mr Tusk, the president of the European Council, broke the news on Twitter.
It follows more than 18 months of negotiations between the two sides, which began when the UK triggered Article 50 in the wake of the 2016 referendum leave vote.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-46334649
The UK’s withdrawal agreement from the European Union has been approved by EU leaders, its chief official Donald Tusk has announced.
The 27 leaders gave it their backing after less than an hour's discussion in Brussels.
Mr Tusk signalled on Saturday that the deal would be approved after Spain withdrew last-minute concerns over Gibraltar.
The deal needs to be approved by the UK Parliament, with many MPs opposed.
Mr Tusk, the president of the European Council, broke the news on Twitter.
It follows more than 18 months of negotiations between the two sides, which began when the UK triggered Article 50 in the wake of the 2016 referendum leave vote.
Russia fires on and seizes Ukrainian ships near annexed Crimea
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-russia/russia-fires-on-and-seizes-ukrainian-ships-near-annexed-crimea-idUSKCN1NU0DL
Russia-Ukraine tensions rise after Kerch Strait ship capture
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46340283
Ukraine's parliament is to decide whether to bring in martial law, after the capture of three of its naval vessels by Russia.
The three ships were sailing off the coast of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, when they were seized.
Ukraine said Russia rammed one of its boats in an "act of aggression", while Russia said the ships had illegally entered its waters.
The incident marks a major escalation of tension between the two countries.
This is the first time the two militaries have come into open conflict in recent years, although Ukrainian forces have been fighting Russian-backed separatists in the east of the country.
Russia resists Western calls to free captured Ukrainian ships
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-russia/russia-resists-western-calls-to-free-captured-ukrainian-ships-idUSKCN1NV0N1
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia resisted international calls on Monday to release three Ukrainian naval ships that its border patrols had fired on and seized near Crimea at the weekend, triggering the most dangerous crisis in years between Moscow and Kiev.
With relations still raw after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and its backing for a pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine, the incident risks pushing the two countries towards a wider conflict and is likely to renew Western calls for more sanctions on Moscow.
Russia’s FSB security service said its border patrol boats had seized two small Ukrainian armoured artillery vessels and a tug boat after opening fire on them and wounding several sailors on Sunday. It said it had opened a criminal case into what it called the ships’ illegal entry into Russian territorial waters.
Explainer - Troubled waters: what's behind the Russia, Ukraine naval standoff?
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-russia-explainer/explainer-troubled-waters-whats-behind-the-russia-ukraine-naval-standoff-idUSKCN1NV1AR
Kiev accuses Moscow of trying to impose a de facto economic blockade on its ports in the Azov Sea to weaken it as part of a “hybrid war” against Ukraine, and has called for further Western sanctions against Moscow.
The countries have been at loggerheads since Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and backed an insurgency in the eastern Donbass region that has killed more than 10,000 people despite a notional ceasefire.
Squabbles over control of the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait, which connects to the Black Sea to the south, are nothing new. Tensions flared in 2003 during Vladimir Putin’s first term as Russian president.
These were calmed with a 2003 bilateral treaty stipulating that both countries could use the Kerch Strait and Azov Sea freely for commercial shipping and must notify each other while sending military vessels.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-russia/russia-fires-on-and-seizes-ukrainian-ships-near-annexed-crimea-idUSKCN1NU0DL
Russia-Ukraine tensions rise after Kerch Strait ship capture
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46340283
Ukraine's parliament is to decide whether to bring in martial law, after the capture of three of its naval vessels by Russia.
The three ships were sailing off the coast of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, when they were seized.
Ukraine said Russia rammed one of its boats in an "act of aggression", while Russia said the ships had illegally entered its waters.
The incident marks a major escalation of tension between the two countries.
This is the first time the two militaries have come into open conflict in recent years, although Ukrainian forces have been fighting Russian-backed separatists in the east of the country.
Russia resists Western calls to free captured Ukrainian ships
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-russia/russia-resists-western-calls-to-free-captured-ukrainian-ships-idUSKCN1NV0N1
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia resisted international calls on Monday to release three Ukrainian naval ships that its border patrols had fired on and seized near Crimea at the weekend, triggering the most dangerous crisis in years between Moscow and Kiev.
With relations still raw after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and its backing for a pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine, the incident risks pushing the two countries towards a wider conflict and is likely to renew Western calls for more sanctions on Moscow.
Russia’s FSB security service said its border patrol boats had seized two small Ukrainian armoured artillery vessels and a tug boat after opening fire on them and wounding several sailors on Sunday. It said it had opened a criminal case into what it called the ships’ illegal entry into Russian territorial waters.
Explainer - Troubled waters: what's behind the Russia, Ukraine naval standoff?
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-russia-explainer/explainer-troubled-waters-whats-behind-the-russia-ukraine-naval-standoff-idUSKCN1NV1AR
Kiev accuses Moscow of trying to impose a de facto economic blockade on its ports in the Azov Sea to weaken it as part of a “hybrid war” against Ukraine, and has called for further Western sanctions against Moscow.
The countries have been at loggerheads since Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and backed an insurgency in the eastern Donbass region that has killed more than 10,000 people despite a notional ceasefire.
Squabbles over control of the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait, which connects to the Black Sea to the south, are nothing new. Tensions flared in 2003 during Vladimir Putin’s first term as Russian president.
These were calmed with a 2003 bilateral treaty stipulating that both countries could use the Kerch Strait and Azov Sea freely for commercial shipping and must notify each other while sending military vessels.
歐洲動態: 克里米亞爭拗續集：亞速海之爭
https://europechinese.blogspot.com/2018/11/blog-post_26.html?fbclid=IwAR3BB9sIWOouKoxogD1-G8mQ6VDusPsRb9ik1TxQPw4mD5MW9ic7vvK0FJE
// 俄羅斯與烏克蘭在刻赤海峽（Kerch Strait）發生軍事衝突，俄軍指摘烏軍船隻闖入俄水域，向其開火並扣押了３艘烏軍船隻。俄烏就刻赤海峽的爭拗已發生至少超過１年，互相指罵的語氣在過去數週不斷升級。這個問題是俄羅斯２０１４年奪取了克里米亞半島後必然會出現的爭拗，涉及亞速海（Sea of Azov）的控制權，而爭拗在俄羅斯建了克里米亞大橋後加劇。
看看上面的地圖（來自維基百科），刻赤海峽是把亞速海連接至黑海、以至再往出的愛琴海和地中海的必經之道。俄烏早在２００３年庫奇馬（Leonid Kuchma）當烏克蘭總統、兩國關係仍友好的年代，就亞速海的控制權達成協議，內容主要有２點：１、確認兩國都可使用刻赤海峽和亞速海（當然除了十分接近兩國各自陸地領土的水域除外，但我查不到是離陸地多少公里）；２、亞速海是俄烏兩國的內海。
在民用方面，上述協議沒有特別，沒有一方特別有利，但在軍事上，在俄軍實力明顯高於烏軍下，這條協議其實是對烏克蘭不利，因為協議意味俄海軍艦隻可以駛至十分接近烏克蘭領土。在俄羅斯控制了克里米亞後，上述優勢進一步向俄方傾斜，俄海軍可以更順理成章地更接近烏陸地。而且，刻赤海峽的兩峽都是俄領土，令俄方有能力封鎖海峽，令烏克蘭完全失去亞速海。//
// 烏克蘭在亞速海那一邊有不少大港口，其中最重要的是馬里烏波爾（Mariupol）。港口不只是港口，還牽涉到烏克蘭東南部的重工業和農業，他們的產品需要經過亞速海的港口出口，不是這麼輕易就可改為用陸路運往西邊那些黑海港口。因此，封鎖刻赤海峽，對烏克蘭整個東南部的經濟都會有很大打擊。
還有就是漁業，烏克蘭不少漁民在亞速海捕漁，但如果俄羅斯對亞速海牢牢控制，是否限制烏漁民在亞速海作業，便成為俄羅斯對烏交涉時的一個可考慮選項。
上述經濟影響也對俄烏之間的間接軍事衝突有影響。烏克蘭東部較多俄語居民的地區，過去４年一直爭取獨立，與烏克蘭戰鬥。削弱烏克蘭東南部經濟，有助烏東的分離主義份子。
更不要說，封了刻赤海峽，令烏克蘭海軍難以黑海（例如敖德薩Odessa港口）與亞速海之間調動軍艦，這是直接削弱烏克蘭在東部的軍事實力。 //
https://europechinese.blogspot.com/2018/11/blog-post_26.html?fbclid=IwAR3BB9sIWOouKoxogD1-G8mQ6VDusPsRb9ik1TxQPw4mD5MW9ic7vvK0FJE
// 俄羅斯與烏克蘭在刻赤海峽（Kerch Strait）發生軍事衝突，俄軍指摘烏軍船隻闖入俄水域，向其開火並扣押了３艘烏軍船隻。俄烏就刻赤海峽的爭拗已發生至少超過１年，互相指罵的語氣在過去數週不斷升級。這個問題是俄羅斯２０１４年奪取了克里米亞半島後必然會出現的爭拗，涉及亞速海（Sea of Azov）的控制權，而爭拗在俄羅斯建了克里米亞大橋後加劇。
看看上面的地圖（來自維基百科），刻赤海峽是把亞速海連接至黑海、以至再往出的愛琴海和地中海的必經之道。俄烏早在２００３年庫奇馬（Leonid Kuchma）當烏克蘭總統、兩國關係仍友好的年代，就亞速海的控制權達成協議，內容主要有２點：１、確認兩國都可使用刻赤海峽和亞速海（當然除了十分接近兩國各自陸地領土的水域除外，但我查不到是離陸地多少公里）；２、亞速海是俄烏兩國的內海。
在民用方面，上述協議沒有特別，沒有一方特別有利，但在軍事上，在俄軍實力明顯高於烏軍下，這條協議其實是對烏克蘭不利，因為協議意味俄海軍艦隻可以駛至十分接近烏克蘭領土。在俄羅斯控制了克里米亞後，上述優勢進一步向俄方傾斜，俄海軍可以更順理成章地更接近烏陸地。而且，刻赤海峽的兩峽都是俄領土，令俄方有能力封鎖海峽，令烏克蘭完全失去亞速海。//
// 烏克蘭在亞速海那一邊有不少大港口，其中最重要的是馬里烏波爾（Mariupol）。港口不只是港口，還牽涉到烏克蘭東南部的重工業和農業，他們的產品需要經過亞速海的港口出口，不是這麼輕易就可改為用陸路運往西邊那些黑海港口。因此，封鎖刻赤海峽，對烏克蘭整個東南部的經濟都會有很大打擊。
還有就是漁業，烏克蘭不少漁民在亞速海捕漁，但如果俄羅斯對亞速海牢牢控制，是否限制烏漁民在亞速海作業，便成為俄羅斯對烏交涉時的一個可考慮選項。
上述經濟影響也對俄烏之間的間接軍事衝突有影響。烏克蘭東部較多俄語居民的地區，過去４年一直爭取獨立，與烏克蘭戰鬥。削弱烏克蘭東南部經濟，有助烏東的分離主義份子。
更不要說，封了刻赤海峽，令烏克蘭海軍難以黑海（例如敖德薩Odessa港口）與亞速海之間調動軍艦，這是直接削弱烏克蘭在東部的軍事實力。 //
U.S. fires tear gas into Mexico to repel migrants, closes border gate for several hours
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration/u-s-fires-tear-gas-into-mexico-to-repel-migrants-closes-border-gate-for-several-hours-idUSKCN1NU0YS
TIJUANA, Mexico (Reuters) - U.S. authorities shut the country’s busiest border crossing and fired tear gas into Mexico on Sunday to repel Central American migrants approaching the border after U.S. President Donald Trump vowed the asylum-seekers would not easily enter the country.
Traffic in both directions was suspended for several hours at the San Ysidro port of entry between San Diego and Tijuana, U.S. officials said, disrupting trade at the most heavily trafficked land border in the Western Hemisphere. Pedestrian crossings and vehicle traffic later resumed, officials said.
Tensions on the border had been rising in recent days, with thousands of Central American migrants who arrived in a caravan camped out in a sports stadium in Tijuana. On Sunday, Mexican police broke up the latest in a series of daily protests, triggering a rush toward the U.S. border.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers stopped the migrants with a volley of canisters emitting large clouds of gas as U.S. and Mexican government helicopters clattered overhead.
The Mexican government said it had retaken control of the border crossing after nearly 500 migrants tried to cross the U.S. border “in a violent manner,” and vowed to immediately deport Central Americans who attempt to enter the United States illegally.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration/u-s-fires-tear-gas-into-mexico-to-repel-migrants-closes-border-gate-for-several-hours-idUSKCN1NU0YS
TIJUANA, Mexico (Reuters) - U.S. authorities shut the country’s busiest border crossing and fired tear gas into Mexico on Sunday to repel Central American migrants approaching the border after U.S. President Donald Trump vowed the asylum-seekers would not easily enter the country.
Traffic in both directions was suspended for several hours at the San Ysidro port of entry between San Diego and Tijuana, U.S. officials said, disrupting trade at the most heavily trafficked land border in the Western Hemisphere. Pedestrian crossings and vehicle traffic later resumed, officials said.
Tensions on the border had been rising in recent days, with thousands of Central American migrants who arrived in a caravan camped out in a sports stadium in Tijuana. On Sunday, Mexican police broke up the latest in a series of daily protests, triggering a rush toward the U.S. border.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers stopped the migrants with a volley of canisters emitting large clouds of gas as U.S. and Mexican government helicopters clattered overhead.
The Mexican government said it had retaken control of the border crossing after nearly 500 migrants tried to cross the U.S. border “in a violent manner,” and vowed to immediately deport Central Americans who attempt to enter the United States illegally.
Latvian president nominates populist party candidate for PM post
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-latvia-politics/latvian-president-nominates-populist-party-candidate-for-pm-post-idUSKCN1NV1GS
RIGA (Reuters) - Latvia’s president nominated Aldis Gobzems from the populist party KPV LV as prime minister on Monday and gave him two weeks to form a cabinet and secure majority support in parliament following an inconclusive election last month.
Latvians, fed up with corruption and weak democracy in the Baltic country of 2 million, punished the ruling three-party coalition in the October election, leading to a highly fragmented parliament consisting of seven parties.
Gobzems, whose party is the second largest in parliament, is the second candidate to be given a chance to form a government after Janis Bordans of the New Conservative party failed to gather enough support earlier this month.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-latvia-politics/latvian-president-nominates-populist-party-candidate-for-pm-post-idUSKCN1NV1GS
RIGA (Reuters) - Latvia’s president nominated Aldis Gobzems from the populist party KPV LV as prime minister on Monday and gave him two weeks to form a cabinet and secure majority support in parliament following an inconclusive election last month.
Latvians, fed up with corruption and weak democracy in the Baltic country of 2 million, punished the ruling three-party coalition in the October election, leading to a highly fragmented parliament consisting of seven parties.
Gobzems, whose party is the second largest in parliament, is the second candidate to be given a chance to form a government after Janis Bordans of the New Conservative party failed to gather enough support earlier this month.
Czech PM Babiš survives no-confidence vote sparked by son’s kidnapping claims
https://www.politico.eu/article/andrej-babis-czech-pm-babis-survives-no-confidence-vote-sparked-by-sons-kidnap-claims/
PRAGUE — Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and his minority coalition government survived a no-confidence vote Friday sparked by claims from his eldest son that he had been kidnapped by associates of his father.
The motion of no confidence, which was filed by six opposition parties, received 92 votes, nine shy of the number needed for it to pass in the 200-seat parliament. The outcome was a foregone conclusion after Babiš’ coalition partners, the Social Democrats, said they would abstain and the 15 Communist MPs said they would support the government.
Even if Babiš had lost, Czech President Miloš Zeman had declared that he would have asked the PM to form another government.
The crisis began when 35-year-old Andrej Babiš Jr. claimed in a televised interview that he had been abducted and taken to Crimea to prevent him from testifying in an investigation into charges that his father had illegally accepted €2 million in EU subsidies. Babiš has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and called the accusations politically motivated.
https://www.politico.eu/article/andrej-babis-czech-pm-babis-survives-no-confidence-vote-sparked-by-sons-kidnap-claims/
PRAGUE — Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and his minority coalition government survived a no-confidence vote Friday sparked by claims from his eldest son that he had been kidnapped by associates of his father.
The motion of no confidence, which was filed by six opposition parties, received 92 votes, nine shy of the number needed for it to pass in the 200-seat parliament. The outcome was a foregone conclusion after Babiš’ coalition partners, the Social Democrats, said they would abstain and the 15 Communist MPs said they would support the government.
Even if Babiš had lost, Czech President Miloš Zeman had declared that he would have asked the PM to form another government.
The crisis began when 35-year-old Andrej Babiš Jr. claimed in a televised interview that he had been abducted and taken to Crimea to prevent him from testifying in an investigation into charges that his father had illegally accepted €2 million in EU subsidies. Babiš has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and called the accusations politically motivated.
Brexit: Back my deal or risk more division, May to tell MPs
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-46336772
Rejecting the Brexit deal will be risky and lead to "division and uncertainty", Prime Minister Theresa May will say to MPs who oppose her plan.
Her Commons speech comes after the 27 other EU leaders approved the terms of the UK's exit at a summit on Sunday.
Mrs May now has to persuade politicians in the UK Parliament to back the deal.
But cabinet ministers admit she faces an uphill struggle, with Labour, the Lib Dems, the SNP, the DUP and many Tory MPs set to vote against it.
Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party has said it will review its parliamentary pact with the Conservatives - which props up Mrs May's government - if the deal is approved by MPs.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said his party will oppose the deal, calling it "the worst of all worlds".
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-46336772
Rejecting the Brexit deal will be risky and lead to "division and uncertainty", Prime Minister Theresa May will say to MPs who oppose her plan.
Her Commons speech comes after the 27 other EU leaders approved the terms of the UK's exit at a summit on Sunday.
Mrs May now has to persuade politicians in the UK Parliament to back the deal.
But cabinet ministers admit she faces an uphill struggle, with Labour, the Lib Dems, the SNP, the DUP and many Tory MPs set to vote against it.
Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party has said it will review its parliamentary pact with the Conservatives - which props up Mrs May's government - if the deal is approved by MPs.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said his party will oppose the deal, calling it "the worst of all worlds".
俄佬又搞咩