The European Union has recalled its ambassador to Moscow after leaders agreed it was “highly likely” Russia was responsible for a nerve agent attack in the UK. In a statement following an evening of talks in Brussels, the European Council of EU leaders agreed “there is no plausible alternative explanation”.
At least 250 new diplomatic roles will be created overseas in the coming two years as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) invests in a major expansion of the UK’s diplomatic service, an uplift of almost 15% on the number of British diplomats overseas, the Foreign Secretary announced today.
The Bank of England signaled on Thursday that it remains on course to lift interest rates in Britain this year and next, as figures showed a yearlong squeeze on consumers caused by a steep fall in the pound appears to be coming to an end.
UK inflation was weaker than expected in February easing some of the squeeze on households' spending power but doing little to change bets on a Bank of England rate rise in May. Official data showed consumer prices rose by an annual 2.7% last month, the weakest increase since July of last year and down from a rise of 3.0% in January.
Argentine foreign minister Jorge Faurie is expected this Wednesday in Congress to outline president Macri administration's current policy towards the Falkland Islands, mainly negotiations on air links and South Atlantic fisheries conservation.
UK and EU have agreed on a “large part” of the agreement that will lead to the “orderly withdrawal” of the UK. Negotiators Michel Barnier and David Davis said the deal on what the UK calls the implementation period was a “decisive step” in the Brexit process, although some of the issues still to be resolved include the Northern Ireland border.
The UK and the European Union have agreed the terms of a transition deal that covers Gibraltar but also maintains Spain’s controversial veto, according to a report from the Gibraltar Chronicle. Gibraltar is included within the territorial scope of a draft withdrawal agreement that also sets out arrangements to smooth the UK’s departure from the bloc after March 2019.
British police launched a murder investigation Friday after an autopsy revealed that a Russian exile who was critical of Vladimir Putin was strangled in his home. Nikolay Glushkov, whose body was found on Monday, died as a result of “compression to the neck,” London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
The leaders of France, Germany, the US and UK say there is “no plausible alternative explanation” to Russia having been behind the nerve agent attack in the UK. They condemned the “first offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe since the Second World War”, calling it an assault on UK sovereignty.
British Chancellor Philip Hammond and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson are scheduled to visit Argentina as part of the G20 ministerial round of meetings in coming weeks, announced UK ambassador Mark Kent following talks on Thursday with foreign minister Jorge Faurie.