United Kingdom

LONDON (AP) — Leaving the European Union without a divorce deal could plunge Britain into its deepest recession in nearly a century, with the economy shrinking 8 percent within months as unemployment and inflation soar, the Bank of England warned Wednesday.

The stark projection came the same day the government’s own economists said the country will be poorer after Brexit than if it had stayed in the EU, no matter what sort of trade deal it secures with the bloc.

LONDON, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said in Edinburgh on Tuesday that the Brexit deal agreed by British Prime Minister Theresa May and the EU leaders will make Scotland poorer.

Sturgeon, leader of the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP), published an analysis of the impact of May's deal on the people of Scotland, saying compared to staying in the EU, it will cost every resident of Scotland thousands of dollars.

LONDON, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- The British government's Brexit deal would cost the country 100 billion British pounds (about 128 billion U.S. dollars) per year by 2030, according to media reports on a research institute's latest estimates.

The report, produced by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) and commissioned by the People's Vote campaign, modeled different Brexit scenarios against a baseline of staying in the EU, the BBC reported early Monday.

LONDON, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday launched a two-week campaign to sell the Brexit deal, a historic agreement approved Sunday by 27 European Union (EU) leaders, to the whole country, as she is facing a daunting task in winning over a hostile House of Commons in its expected vote in December.

LONDON (AP) — European Union diplomats were meeting Friday to finalize the draft divorce agreement between Britain and the bloc, amid a warning from Spain that it will oppose the deal if it isn’t guaranteed a say over the future of Gibraltar.

Leaders of EU nations are due to meet Sunday to sign off on the deal, which lays out the terms of Britain’s departure in March and sets up a framework for future relations. But Spain remains unsatisfied.

LONDON, November 21. /TASS/. Russian Ambassador to the UK Alexander Yakovenko expressed bewilderment on Wednesday over anti-Russian campaign in UK media against the backdrop of the election for Interpol president.

"Impressed by anti-Russian campaign in UK media in connection with Interpol president elections. Why politicize elections in a technical organization?" the Russian ambassador asked.

LONDON, November 22. /TASS/. Brexit may not happen if the UK parliament does not approve the withdrawal agreement between the UK and the EU, Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond told ITV channel on Wednesday.

"If the deal is not approved by parliament, we will have a politically chaotic situation ... In that chaos that would ensue, there may be no Brexit," Hammond said adding that "a smooth exit from the European Union, doing this in an orderly fashion, is worth tens of billions of pounds to our economy."

22 Nov 2018; AFP: The European Union and Britain agreed Thursday a draft declaration on their post-Brexit relations that sets out an "ambitious, broad, deep and flexible partnership," officials said.

The two sides have also agreed a draft deal extending the transition period by one or two years beyond the end of 2020, a final sticking point of the divorce deal.

European Council President Donald Tusk said the EU executive, the European Commission, informed him it has agreed the political declaration on the future ties with Britain.

LONDON (AP) — Hundreds of protesters have turned out in central London and blocked off the capital’s main bridges to demand the government take climate change seriously.

A group called “Extinction Rebellion” encouraged sit-ins on the bridges Saturday as part of a coordinated week of action across the country.

Metropolitan Police said emergency vehicles were hampered from getting across London because of the “blockade” of five bridges. The force said it had asked all protesters to congregate at Westminster Bridge where officers can facilitate lawful protest.

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s besieged Prime Minister Theresa May warned Sunday that a leadership change wouldn’t make Brexit negotiations easier, as opponents in her Conservative Party threaten to unseat her and the former Brexit secretary suggested she failed to stand up to bullying from European Union officials.

As furious Conservative rebels try to gather the numbers to trigger a no-confidence vote, May insisted she hadn’t considered quitting.