Johnson says he’s more optimistic than Barnier on post-Brexit trade deal July 3, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he is more optimistic than European officials about the prospect of Britain securing a post-Brexit trade agreement, but said the UK could still leave the bloc without a deal if needed. Johnson said he was a bit more optimistic than chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier, who said this week that [...]
Trump adviser walks back comments saying US-China trade deal is ‘over’ June 23, 2020 White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said on Monday the US trade deal with China “continues in place”, walking back on his earlier remarks that the pact was ‘over’, stoking volatility in markets already frazzled by the coronavirus pandemic. Navarro said his comments were taken “wildly out of context”, while US President Donald Trump confirmed [...]
Sajid Javid: Slash taxes and ramp up spending to fuel UK recovery June 23, 2020 Britain should reduce the National Insurance tax and pour money into infrastructure and the poorest regions of the country to boost the UK’s economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis, according to former chancellor Sajid Javid. Javid, who left the Treasury as part of Boris Johnson’s February cabinet reshuffle, warned against a return to the austerity [...]
No-deal Brexit can’t be ruled out but not in UK’s interest, says French minister June 19, 2020 A senior French official said that she could not rule out the UK’s post-Brexit trade talks with the EU ending without a deal, but said it would be in Britain’s interest to reach an agreement. “I am not ruling out anything,” junior european affairs minister Amelie de Montchalin said, when asked if she could rule [...]
Sadiq Khan urges PM to make face masks compulsory in shops as well as public transport June 18, 2020 Sadiq Khan has urged the government to force people to wear face masks in shops and other confined public spaces. The mayor of London wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson this morning, calling for an extension to the rule which requires people to wear face masks on public transport. He said: “With lockdown easing, it’s [...]
Trump asked for China’s help to win 2020 election, says ex-adviser Bolton June 18, 2020 In a withering behind-the-scenes portrayal, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton accused him of sweeping misdeeds that included explicitly seeking Chinese President Xi Jinping’s help to win re-election in 2020. Bolton, a longtime foreign policy hawk who Trump fired in September over policy differences, also said that the US president had expressed [...]
Facebook blasted by civil rights leaders over Donald Trump riot post June 2, 2020 Facebook has been accused of setting a “dangerous precedent” after refusing to remove a post from US President Donald Trump that has been widely condemned for inciting violence. Trump’s post, which referred to protests against the killing of George Floyd in police custody last week, was flagged by Twitter for “glorifying violence”. But Facebook boss [...]
SpaceX mission nears International Space Station after historic launch May 31, 2020 SpaceX’s Dragon astronaut capsule is due to dock at the International Space Station this afternoon after yesterday’s historic launch. At about 8:30 yesterday evening, NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken blasted off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral launchpad in the US’ first manned space mission in nine years. The mission is also the first ever [...]
Twitter flags Trump tweet for ‘glorifying violence’ as row escalates May 29, 2020 Twitter today said that one of Donald Trump’s tweets had broken its rules about “glorifying violence”, marking the latest salvo in an escalating feud between social media firms and the US president. “These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen,” Trump tweeted, in reference to protests over the [...]
Donald Trump signs executive order to regulate social media firms May 28, 2020 US president Donald Trump has this evening signed an executive order designed to weaken the legal protections around social media companies. The move comes after the president became embroiled in a dispute with Twitter, which marked one of his tweets with a fact check warning over its inaccurate claims. The president said that the order [...]