Politics

  London / AFP British Prime Minister Theresa May warned lawmakers on Sunday not to block Brexit, after the High Court ruled that she cannot start the process of leaving the European Union without parliament’s approval. “MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided,” May said in her first comments since Thursday’s controversial judgment. ...

  Hong Kong / AFP Thousands took to Hong Kong’s streets on Sunday after Beijing said it would step into an escalating row over whether two city lawmakers who advocate a split from China should be banned from taking up their seats. The protest follows an ongoing judicial review by Hong Kong authorities, who are seeking to disqualify Baggio Leung ...

  Seoul /AFP South Korean prosecutors arrested two former top presidential aides on Sunday in a snowballing influence-peddling scandal which has seen tens of thousands of people take to the streets to demand President Park Geun-Hye resign. Park’s approval ratings have hit a historic low of five percent—a record for a sitting president—over the scandal involving her close friend Choi ...

  Sofia / AFP Bulgarians voted on Sunday in a first round of presidential elections, a key test of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov’s popularity in the EU’s poorest country. If his candidate and protegee Tsetska Tsacheva fails to win the presidency, Borisov might call early elections, plunging Bulgaria into renewed political uncertainty, experts say. Opinion polls suggest that Tsacheva, currently ...

  Cleveland / AFP Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump brandished starkly different visions of America as they headed into a fierce final weekend of campaigning on Saturday, one celebrating hope as the other bashed corruption. Trump portrayed Clinton as a product of a venal and incompetent establishment, while Clinton headlined an optimistic concert spectacular featuring superstar singer Beyonce. Forecasts still give ...

  Athens / AFP A new Greek government was sworn in on Saturday after a reshuffle aimed at helping push through obligatory but unpopular financial reforms. “We have the chance for a fresh start, to get the necessary boost needed to run the last crucial metres of a marathon”, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Saturday. The reshuffle on ...

  London / AFP British Prime Minister Theresa May will lead a major business delegation to India this week, using her first trip outside Europe since the Brexit vote to push for more trade with the world’s fastest-growing major economy. While her government cannot yet formally open negotiations with the Indians on a trade deal, observers say May wants to send ...

  London / AFP Prime Minister Theresa May was urged on Saturday to try to quell the furore sparked by a High Court ruling that she needs parliamentary approval before triggering Britain’s exit from the EU. Former ministers called on her to address the angry backlash after three senior judges upheld a challenge to her right to start the departure ...

  Seoul /AFP Tens of thousands of banner-waving protestors marched through the streets of Seoul on Saturday, demanding President Park Geun-Hye resign, a day after she apologised and accepted full blame for a crippling corruption scandal. In one of the largest demonstrations seen in the South Korean capital in years, there was little sympathy for Park who, in an emotional ...

  Kinshasa / AFP Police fired tear gas and fanned out across the capital of DR Congo on Saturday to prevent a banned opposition rally seeking the exit of President Joseph Kabila this year. DR Congo has been going through political turmoil which deepened last month after the presidential election, which had been due before the year’s end, was postponed ...