Filibuster_HK 2018-11-14 20:46:11 British PM May tries to sell Brexit deal to ministers

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu/british-pm-may-tries-to-sell-brexit-deal-to-ministers-idUSKCN1NJ0WE?il=0

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May will try to convince senior ministers on Wednesday to accept a draft European Union divorce deal that opponents say threatens both her government and the unity of the United Kingdom.

The weakest British leader in a generation, she has to try to get the deal approved by parliament before exiting the bloc on March 29, 2019.

Brexit campaigners in May’s Conservative Party accused her of surrendering to the EU and said they would vote down the deal. The Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) which props up May’s minority government questioned whether she would be able to get parliamentary approval.

“It’s a question of whether we are separating the union, whether we are dealing with the United Kingdom in a way that leaves us adrift in the future and, as the leader of unionism in Northern Ireland, I’m not about to agree to that,” DUP leader Arlene Foster told Sky News.

The British cabinet will meet at 1400 GMT.

Live: Reuters
https://www.reuters.tv/l/P52x

y4t7sds12 2018-11-14 21:17:49 今日會唔會有人辭職呢

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Filibuster_HK 2018-11-14 21:24:07 Italy budget: Rome rejects European Commission demands

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46203605

The Italian government has defied the European Commission by sticking to its big-spending budget plan.

Finance Minister Giovanni Tria said it would keep to a deficit target of 2.4% and a growth forecast of 1.5%.

The Commission, worried by the impact of high spending on Italy's high levels of debt, had told Rome to revise the budget or face possible fines.

It had set Tuesday as a deadline to Italy's governing populist parties to respond to its objections.

The Commission's warning to Italy, the eurozone's third-biggest economy, is an unprecedented move with regard to an European Union member state.

It will now decide whether to begin disciplinary measures against the Rome government.

Filibuster_HK 2018-11-14 21:24:34 North Korea running at least 13 secret operating bases for ballistic missile program, new study shows

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/11/12/north-korea-has-least-13-secret-ballistic-missile-bases/1976942002/

WASHINGTON – North Korea has at least 13 secret operating bases where the regime is continuing work on its ballistic missile program, a sign Kim Jong Un is not winding down his country’s nuclear program despite public promises touted by the Trump administration.

New research, conducted by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Security, has identified 13 of an estimated 20 North Korean missile operating bases that Kim's regime has not declared.

North Korea's highly publicized move to decommission a satellite launch facility gained a flurry of positive media attention. But that move "obscures the military threat to U.S. forces and South Korea from this and other undeclared ballistic missile bases," the CSIS report concludes.

A State Department spokesperson did not address the new findings, but said: “President Trump has made clear that should Chairman Kim follow through on his commitments –including complete denuclearization and the elimination of ballistic missile programs – a much brighter future lies ahead for North Korea and its people.”

Filibuster_HK 2018-11-14 21:25:04 Swedish parliament rejects proposed government

https://www.dw.com/en/swedish-parliament-rejects-proposed-government/a-46285176

The Swedish parliament, as expected, rejected center-right Moderates party leader Ulf Kristersson as new prime minister in a vote on Wednesday. There is now no end in sight to the political deadlock that has gripped the country since elections in September.

Kristersson's bid for the premiership had looked doomed to fail after two other parties in the center-right Alliance bloc said they would oppose any government that relied on support from the shunned anti-immigration Sweden Democrats who hold the balance of power in parliament.

When the votes were counted, 195 members of the 349-seat parliament voted against electing him as prime minister while 154 voted in his favor.

Kristersson was put forth on Monday by parliament speaker Andreas Norlen, who wanted to break the parliamentary gridlock.

Filibuster_HK 2018-11-14 21:26:38 Czech Republic rejects UN migration pact

https://www.dw.com/en/czech-republic-rejects-un-migration-pact/a-46286574

The Czech government on Wednesday decided it will not join a United Nations pact on migration, becoming the latest European state to shun the accord.

The non-legally binding Global Compact for Migration was finalized in July and is set to be adopted by UN member states at a meeting in Morocco in December.

"The Czech Republic has long favored the principle of separating legal and illegal migration," Deputy Prime Minister Richard Brabec told a news conference.

"That is what the Czech Republic's and other European countries' suggestions aimed for. The final text does not reflect those proposals."

Prime Minister Andrej Babis had previously stated he was against the migration pact even though it was non-binding because "it, in fact, defines migration as a basic human right."

Filibuster_HK 2018-11-14 21:30:33 如果傳出嚟個D Terms 係正確，Brexiteers 唔係唔辭呀。睇吓Gove

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EU-UK Brexit deal sees July 2020 decision on keeping Irish border open: EU sources

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-agreement/eu-uk-brexit-deal-sees-july-2020-decision-on-keeping-irish-border-open-eu-sources-idUSKCN1NJ1IN

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The draft accord reached between the EU and Britain envisages a July 2020 decision on what would have to be done to safeguard an open Irish border after the post-Brexit transition runs its course and if a new trade deal is not in place, EU sources said.

Britain would then have two choices. One would be extending the transition period once beyond December 2020, possibly until the end of 2021. The other would be going into a “bare-bones” customs arrangement that would cover all of the United Kingdom but in which its province of Northern Ireland would be aligned more closely with the EU’s customs rules and production standards, three diplomatic sources said in Brussels.

British Prime Minister Theresa May was trying to convince her cabinet on Wednesday to accept the draft EU divorce deal, which her opponents say threatens both her government and the unity of the United Kingdom.

Under World Trade Organisation rules, however, Northern Ireland and the rest of Britain would remain part of the same customs area under the draft deal, EU sources stressed, an effort to appease May’s Northern Irish Unionist allies who prop up her minority government in London.

The EU sources said the customs arrangement option included clauses to ensure a “level playing field” by stipulating the UK would have to align itself with EU rules on state aid and competition, environment and labor standards - anathema to hardline Brexiteers in her divided Conservative Party.

For the EU, this measure is crucial as otherwise it fears Britain could gain open access to the bloc’s cherished single market with no tariffs or quotas and without needing to observe the same standards. This could lead to British goods in the EU being offered at prices undercutting the bloc’s own producers.

Northern Ireland would remain inside the EU customs union, the sources said, as an emergency fix to keep the Irish border open if a separate deal on future trade relations with the EU has not been reached by the end of the transition period.

月夜神 2018-11-15 03:54:00 Theresa May: British Cabinet supports Brexit draft agreement

British Prime Minister Theresa May says her Cabinet has decided to support a draft European Union withdrawal agreement.

“I firmly believe the draft agreement was the best we could negotiate,” May said to media gathered outside of 10 Downing Street, after the five-hour meeting ended. May will address Parliament on Thursday.

”This is a decisive step, which enables us to move on and finalize the deal in the days ahead. These decisions were not taken lightly, but I believe it’s a decision that‘s firmly in the national interest,“ she added.

Filibuster_HK 2018-11-15 09:02:18 歐洲動態:
https://www.facebook.com/europechinese/posts/1957776397602632

//這個是英國脫歐協議的鏈結，文件全長585頁，沒有目錄，合共185條條款、3份附帶規程(protocols)和9份附件。

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/files/draft-agreement-withdrawal-united-kingdom-great-britain-and-northern-ireland-european-union-and-european-atomic-energy-community-agreed-negotiators-level-14-november-2018_en

整份協議的結構如下：
第一部份：一般條款（第１—８條）
第二部份：公民權利（頁１６起，包括出入境、工作、福利金等，９—３９條）
第三部份：分離安排（頁６９起，包括貿易、司法、數碼等４０—１２５條）
第四部份：過渡安排（頁１９６起，１２６—１３２條）
第五部份：財務安排（即「分手費」，頁２１０起，１３３—１５７條）
第六部份：架構安排（意指日後仲裁雙方爭議的組織，頁２６９起，１５８—１８５條）
有關愛爾蘭問題的規程（亦是最「有趣」的部份，愛爾蘭邊境問題的處理列在這裏，共２１條條款和１０份附件，共有１７６頁，頁３０２起）
有關英國駐塞浦路斯軍事基地的處理（頁４７８起）
有關直布羅陀的處理（頁４９６起）
附件１：社會福利金安排（頁５０５起）
附件２：詳列漁農食物檢驗處理時涉及什麼歐盟法規（頁５２９起）
附件３：關稅安排（頁５３１起）
附件４：電腦系統，意指不同資料日後要放入哪個數據庫（頁５３３起）
附件５：歐洲原子能機關ＥＵＲＡＴＯＭ安排（頁５４７起）
附件６：產品來源地安排（頁５５２起）
附件７：英國不能代歐盟處理的法規（頁５５５起）
附件８：用作仲裁的「聯合委員會」的組成安排（頁５６０起）
附件９：爭議仲裁機制的詳細安排（頁５６９起）//

Filibuster_HK 2018-11-15 09:07:12 #5195:【A1要聞】京侵蝕高度自治 美國會倡限高科技輸港
https://lihkg.com/thread/902322/page/1

孔雀大師: 林鄭回應美或取消《香港關係法》：香港並非從美國拿很多好處
https://lihkg.com/thread/901810/page/1

TM1990: 美國會報告建議英國 歐盟及台灣一齊審核香港基本法 言論及新聞自由
https://lihkg.com/thread/902477/page/1

通街都係處 : WSJ: 美國國會報告 要求商務部重新審視 係技術出口上 應否仲當香港係獨立於中國既關稅區
https://lihkg.com/thread/901689/page/1

月夜神 2018-11-15 09:24:10

//這個是英國脫歐協議的鏈結，文件全長585頁，沒有目錄，合共185條條款、3份附帶規程(protocols)和9份附件。

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/files/draft-agreement-withdrawal-united-kingdom-great-britain-and-northern-ireland-european-union-and-european-atomic-energy-community-agreed-negotiators-level-14-november-2018_en

Down 唔到個pdf 有冇巴打有？

Filibuster_HK 2018-11-15 09:28:40 California, New Jersey Republicans concedes, Utah representative sues

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election/california-new-jersey-republicans-concedes-utah-representative-sues-idUSKCN1NJ37V

(Reuters) - A Republican U.S. representative of Utah who is trailing her Democratic challenger filed a lawsuit on Wednesday seeking to halt vote counting while two incumbent Republican congressmen in California and New Jersey conceded, more than a week after the U.S. midterm elections.

The races are among about a dozen high-profile contests that remained unresolved. But the outstanding races will not tip the balance in Congress after Democrats took control of the U.S. House of Representatives and Republicans extended their majority in the U.S. Senate in the Nov. 6 vote.

A high-profile recount of votes continued in Florida, where initial vote tallies showed outgoing Republican Governor Rick Scott leading in the race for a U.S. Senate seat and Republican Ron DeSantis leading to succeed Scott as governor. Both had narrow margins of victory within 0.5 percentage point, the state threshold requiring machine recounts, which began five days ago.

If the recount finds that Scott’s margin of victory over Democratic incumbent Senator Bill Nelson or DeSantis’ margin over Democrat Andrew Gillum is at 0.25 percentage point or lower, a second round of recounts conducted by hand would begin.

In Utah, Republican first-term U.S. Representative Mia Love filed a lawsuit in Utah state court on Wednesday seeking to halt vote counting. She argued that election officials are not allowing poll monitors to challenge their findings during vote verification.

Filibuster_HK 2018-11-15 09:31:25 英國有份explainer睇住先

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https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/756376/14_November_Explainer_for_the_agreement_on_the_withdrawal_of_the_United_Kingdom_of_Great_Britain_and_Northern_Ireland_from_the_European_Union___1_.pdf

Filibuster_HK 2018-11-15 09:32:13 China appears to relax North Korea sanctions: report to U.S. Congress

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-usa-congress/china-appears-to-relax-north-korea-sanctions-report-to-u-s-congress-idUSKCN1NJ387

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. congressional commission said on Wednesday that China appears to have relaxed enforcement of sanctions on North Korea and called on the Treasury Department to provide a report on Chinese compliance within 180 days.

In its annual report, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission said the Treasury report should include a classified list of Chinese financial institutions, businesses, and officials involved in trading with North Korea that could be subject to future sanctions.

The bipartisan commission said China had appeared to enforce sanctions on North Korea more thoroughly than in the past in 2017 and in early 2018.

But this effort appeared to have relaxed since a thaw in relations between China and North Korea as the long-time ally of Beijing began to engage with the United States this year.

“China appears to have eased off sanctions enforcement, despite its promises to keep sanctions intact until North Korea gets rid of its nuclear weapons,” the report said.

“North Korean workers have returned to jobs in northeast China, economic activity and tourism have picked up in border towns, flights in both directions have resumed, and the two countries have conducted high-profile official exchanges to discuss economic development,” it said.

Filibuster_HK 2018-11-15 09:33:58 U.S. Senate's Flake takes a stand on protecting Mueller probe

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-senate-mueller/u-s-senates-flake-takes-a-stand-on-protecting-mueller-probe-idUSKCN1NJ2EK

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A lone Republican lawmaker on Wednesday vowed to block judicial nominations in the U.S. Senate until Republican leader Mitch McConnell agrees to hold a vote on a measure to protect a probe into Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential election.

Senator Jeff Flake made the threat after McConnell blocked Flake’s measure from moving forward. The Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act would make it harder for President Donald Trump to undermine the investigation into Russian meddling and any coordination between Moscow and the Trump campaign.

“I will not vote to advance any of the 21 judicial nominees pending in the Judiciary Committee, or vote to confirm the 32 judges awaiting confirmation on the Senate floor until (the bill) is brought to the full Senate,” Flake said in a floor speech after his effort to win consent for a vote failed.

Filibuster_HK 2018-11-15 15:43:46 英國時間就八點都仲未有人辭職

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Filibuster_HK 2018-11-15 15:53:57 It’s coming

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Shailesh Vara quits government

Shailesh Vara has resigned as Northern Ireland Minister, saying he cannot support
Theresa May’s Brexit agreement.

He said it “leaves the UK in a halfway house with no time limit on when we will finally be a sovereign nation”.

月夜神 2018-11-15 17:03:42 Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has resigned saying he “cannot in good conscience support” draft Brexit agreement

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y4t7sds12 2018-11-15 17:04:22 突發 英國脫歐大臣Dominic Raab 辭職
https://lih.kg/903028
- 分享自 LIHKG 討論區

Filibuster_HK 2018-11-15 17:54:08

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Filibuster_HK 2018-11-19 09:01:49 Sri Lanka president calls third vote on no-confidence motion against premier

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sri-lanka-politics/sri-lanka-president-calls-third-vote-on-no-confidence-motion-against-premier-idUSKCN1NN0TE

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday asked an all-party meeting to hold a third vote on a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, deepening the country’s political crisis.

Sirisena called the all party leaders’ meeting after Rajapaksa, his choice to lead the government, was voted out twice within days by a majority in a no-confidence motion.

A lawmaker loyal to Sirisena told reporters that the president rejected the outcome of the second vote held on Friday, which potentially strengthened the hand of Ranil Wickremesinghe who is seeking to return as prime minister.

“To decide on the no confidence motion presented against the government, president noted that he wanted a vote with a name call or electronically displayed,” Sirisena’s office said in a statement.

Filibuster_HK 2018-11-19 09:02:42 Netanyahu urges coalition partners not to bring down government

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-politics/netanyahu-urges-coalition-partners-not-to-bring-down-government-idUSKCN1NN0AB

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged his coalition partners on Sunday not to bring down the government, citing security challenges ahead and hinting at future Israeli military action against its enemies.

Netanyahu, head of the right-wing Likud party, has been making last-ditch efforts to avoid the collapse of the government, weakened by the resignation of his defence minister. Political pundits predict a snap vote could come as soon as March, instead of November as scheduled.

“I spoke with all the coalition heads. I told them this is the time to show responsibility - don’t bring down the government, especially not at this security-sensitive time,” he said in televised remarks.

Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s resignation, announced on Wednesday over what he described as the government’s lenient policy towards an upsurge of cross-border violence with Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, left the government with a majority of only one seat in parliament.

That put the fate of Netanyahu’s coalition at the mercy of its partners, who have seen the four-term prime minister’s popularity take a rare hit in an opinion poll that showed Israelis were unhappy with him over Gaza.

Earlier Netanyahu met with his finance minister, Moshe Kahlon of the centre-right Kulanu party, who has urged setting an early election date.

Filibuster_HK 2018-11-19 09:05:07 'Out! Out!': protests grow in Tijuana against migrant caravan

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/19/mexico-protests-grow-in-tijuana-against-migrant-caravan

Hundreds of Tijuana residents have congregated to protest the thousands of Central American migrants who have arrived in the Mexican border city hoping for a new life in the US.

Tensions have built as nearly 3,000 migrants from a caravan that has been travelling through central America poured into Tijuana in recent days. The federal government estimates the number of migrants could soon swell to 10,000.

US border inspectors are processing only about 100 asylum claims a day at Tijuana’s main crossing to San Diego. Asylum seekers register their names in a tattered notebook managed by migrants themselves that had more than 3,000 names even before the caravan arrived.

On Sunday, displeased Tijuana residents waved Mexican flags, sang the Mexican national anthem and chanted “Out! Out!” in front of a statue of the Aztec ruler Cuauhtemoc, 1 mile (1.6km) from the US border. They accused the migrants of being messy, ungrateful and a danger to Tijuana. They also complained about how the caravan forced its way into Mexico, calling it an “invasion.” And they voiced worries that their taxes might be spent to care for the group.

Filibuster_HK 2018-11-19 09:05:31 US mid-terms: Rick Scott wins contested Florida Senate race

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46256389

Florida's outgoing Republican Governor Rick Scott has declared victory in a contested Senate race in the state.

The vote was subject to a recount after his lead in the 6 November ballot fell to less than 0.5%.

The final result showed Mr Scott beat three-term incumbent Democrat Senator Bill Nelson by just more than 10,000 votes from the 8.19m cast state-wide.

Republicans, including the president, had alleged voter fraud in the race and Democrats alleged voter suppression.

Lawyers representing Senator Nelson's campaign also launched legal challenges to support the recount effort, but he eventually conceded on Sunday afternoon.