Spain is to hold a special Cabinet meeting at the weekend to activate measures to take control of Catalonia’s semi-autonomous powers after the region’s leader said he would formally declare independence if no talks were offered.
Prime Minister Theresa May has made clear that she is not expecting a Brexit breakthrough at this week’s summit of EU leaders, describing it as an opportunity to “take stock” of progress so far. Mrs. May said she would be setting out “ambitious plans” for further negotiations in the weeks ahead, and said she wanted to inject a new “urgency” into discussions on the post-Brexit rights of EU citizens living in the UK and Britons on the continent.
The humble jellyfish has been found to be a major source of food for albatrosses which inhabit the Southern Ocean, new research has discovered.
The killing of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia sent shockwaves across Europe a day after her car exploded near her home, prompting the European Commission to condemn it in the “strongest possible terms”.
Spain’s political showdown with Catalonia is set to reach a new level on Thursday when political leaders in Madrid and Barcelona are expected to make good on pledges made to their supporters to stick to their tough positions over the region’s future.
Heads of State and Government and ministers from around the world meeting in Uruguay committed to new and bold action to reduce suffering and death from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), primarily heart and lung diseases, cancers and diabetes, the world’s leading killers.
France will propose changing the European Commission’s mandate to negotiate a trade deal with Mercosur bloc to include food safety provisions, its envoy to Brazil said on this week.
UK banks may have been used to launder money stolen from South Africa, a former cabinet minister has alleged in a letter to Chancellor Philip Hammond. Labour Lord Peter Hain said a South African whistle-blower had indicated the banks maybe inadvertently have been conduits for the corrupt proceeds of money.
The Creative Industries Federation (CIF) said the £87bn a year the sector generated for the economy was at risk if immigration was restricted. The sector relies heavily on freelance staff, many of whom are from the EU, and the CIF is urging the government to negotiate free movement of UK and EU workers for short-term projects.
China has entered a new era where it should take centre stage in the world, President Xi Jinping says. The country's rapid progress under socialism with Chinese characteristics shows there is a new choice for other countries, he told the Communist Party congress.