Europe

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union’s willingness to offer a comprehensive free trade agreement to Britain after Brexit will depend on how ready Britain is to maintain EU standards and regulations, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator said on Wednesday.

“The United Kingdom will leave the union. We respect this choice. Clearly it is not leaving Europe. Does it want to distance itself and to what extent from our regulatory model?” Michel Barnier told the European Parliament.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain stands to lose more than the European Union if the two fail to strike a trade deal by the end of next year, the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament on Wednesday.

Britain set a hard deadline of December 2020 on Tuesday to reach a new trade deal with the European Union, betting that the prospect of another Brexit cliff-edge would force Brussels to move quickly to seal an accord.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project are a breach of international law and an example of unfair competition, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

Moscow expects the project to be completed, Peskov added.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate passed a defense policy bill which includes sanctions on companies building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

It now goes to the White House, where President Donald Trump is expected to sign it.

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey will improve its cooperation with Libya and is ready to provide military support for the Tripoli-based government or back joint steps in the eastern Mediterranean, broadcaster NTV cited President Tayyip Erdogan as saying on Wednesday.

Last month, Turkey and Libya’s internationally recognized government signed accords on maritime boundaries, which enraged Greece. Ankara says it may send troops to Libya, which has been divided into rival political factions since 2014, if the Tripoli-based government requests it.

AMMAN, Dec 18 (NNN-PETRA) – Jordan said, the European Parliament approved with a vast majority, to grant Jordan a soft loan of 500 million euros (557 million U.S. dollars) with a low-interest rate.

According to a statement by Jordan’s Foreign Ministry, the loan seeks to support Jordan’s economy and alleviate the burdens of regional crises.

The ministry said, the EU’s decision is a big appreciation for Jordan’s role in the region.

LONDON, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed MPs on Tuesday as the House of Commons resumed following last week's general election.

Lindsay Hoyle was elected as Commons Speaker.

Johnson, speaking to a packed chamber that re-elected Lindsay Hoyle as Speaker, said his Conservative government will "Get Brexit Done" and voiced his opposition to Scotland breaking away from the United Kingdom.

The Scottish National Party said its gains in the general election should pave the way for a new independence referendum.

RIGA, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The presidents of the Baltic states -- Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania -- are determined to advance the Rail Baltica railway project and to ensure its completion as scheduled, Latvian President Egils Levits said at a joint news conference with his Baltic counterparts here on Tuesday.

Levits, Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda reaffirmed their commitment to the regional rail infrastructure project and voiced their resolve to help the project's managers overcome all difficulties.

PORTO-NOVO, Dec 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The French culture minister says his government will return artworks taken from Benin during the colonial conquest of the region by 2021.

Franck Riester was speaking on a visit to Benin.

France promised last year to send back 26 pieces now in the Quai Branly museum in Paris without delay, but Benin said it needed time to build a proper exhibition facility.

The 26 thrones and statues were taken in 1892 during a colonial war against the then Kingdom of Dahomey.

LONDON, Dec 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government intends to present a bill to parliament on Friday to enable Britain to leave the European Union next month, his spokesman said.

“We plan to start the process before Christmas and will do so in the proper constitutional way in discussion with the speaker (of the House of Commons),” Johnson’s spokesman told reporters.

The announcement came as Johnson begins a new week with a fresh mandate to fulfil his promise to push through his election promise to “Get Brexit Done” on Jan 31.

London; 17 Dec 2019 (UMM): A global network of co-ordinated 265 pro-Indian fake websites operating across 65 countries has been traced by EU Disinfo Lab, a Brussels-based NGO.

The websites are aimed at influencing decision-making in Europe, and was traced to have links with an Indian company, Srivastava Group.