Nigel Farage is back as UKIP’s leader after Diane James unexpectedly quit the job after 18 days at the helm. Speaking to the BBC, Mr Farage said he would be the UK Independence Party’s interim leader until a fresh election was held to find Ms James’ successor. “I keep trying to escape… and before I’m finally free they drag me… Read more »
Portugal’s former Prime Minister Antonio Guterres is poised to become the next UN secretary general, UN diplomats say. Mr Guterres, 66, was the “clear favourite”, Russia’s UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin announced on Wednesday. A formal vote will take place in the UN Security Council on Thursday to confirm the choice of nominee. Mr Guterres, who led the UN refugee agency… Read more »
A rescue mission in the Mediterranean is a waiting game. Going to the aid of people risking the secretive and dangerous crossing to Europe requires planning and patience.
Only the Conservatives can build a “united Britain” in which “fairness is restored” and opportunities are shared more equally, Theresa May has said. The prime minister told the party’s conference the UK must change after the “quiet revolution” of the Brexit vote, urging people to “seize the day”.
Two Russian Blackjack bombers were intercepted by fighter jets from four European countries as they flew from the direction of Norway to northern Spain and back, it has emerged. Norway, the UK, France and Spain all scrambled jets as the TU-160 planes skirted the airspace of each country.
This weekend the Hungarian government held its anti-migrant referendum, asking people if the European Union should be able to require it to house asylum seekers from overwhelmed Greece and Italy. The country had been asked to find a home for 1,294 people who’ve fled war—a miniscule number considering its population of 10 million. But rather than accept it, the Hungarian… Read more »
When German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Dresden on October 3 to celebrate the twenty-sixth anniversary of the reunification of Germany, she was greeted with both cheers and insults. Some demonstrators shouted at her to resign, others applauded her. Security was extremely tight. Merkel and German President Joachim Gauck, both of whom grew up in East Germany, endured the insults…. Read more »
Russia said yesterday (3 October) that it would like to see a woman as the next UN secretary general and would back a candidate from Eastern Europe. Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, whose country holds the Security Council presidency this month, also said a formal vote to pick a successor to Ban Ki-moon could happen soon.
ROME — Turkey is exiting the European Union’s Creative Europe program which supports the arts, including film and TV — a surprise move that comes as relations between the Turkish government and the E.U. become increasingly strained. In 2015, Turkey joined the ranks of non-E.U. member countries allowed to tap into Creative Europe’s 1.46-billion-euro fund ($1.56 billion) to support culture and the… Read more »
Washington has “suspended” bilateral contacts with Moscow over the Syrian crisis, the US State Department said. Russian Foreign Ministry said it was “disappointed” by the decision and accused the US of seeking to shift blame for its own failure in Syria. US officials had threatened for a week to withdraw from the Syrian peace process, after the latest ceasefire… Read more »