Barnier: Brexit negotiations to start when UK is ready, position of Brussels

The European Union's chief negotiator for Brexit said on Friday that negotiations on the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the bloc would begin when the country was ready.

Commenting after the hung parliament result in the UK snap election, Michel Barnier said the timetable and position of Brussels were clear.

Source: EFE

Trump and other leaders clash on trade, climate at G7

Leaders from the world's major industrialized nations began talks on Friday at a G7 summit in Sicily which is expected to expose deep divisions with U.S. President Donald Trump over trade and climate change.

The two-day summit, at a cliff-top hotel overlooking the Mediterranean, began a day after Trump blasted NATO allies for spending too little on defense and described Germany's trade surplus as "very bad" in a meeting with EU officials in Brussels.

After receiving warm receptions in Saudi Arabia and Israel, Trump's confrontational stance with long-standing partners in Europe cast a cloud over the meeting in Taormina, where leaders are due to discuss terrorism, Syria, North Korea and the global economy.

"No doubt, this will be the most challenging G7 summit in years," Donald Tusk, a former Polish prime minister who chairs summits of European Union leaders, said before the meeting.

White House economic adviser Gary Cohn predicted "robust" discussions on trade and climate.

Trump was elected in November after a campaign in which he rejected many of the tenets that the Group of Seven has stood for, including free trade, multilateralism and the liberal democratic values.

European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and new French President Emmanuel Macron, had hoped to use the summit to convince Trump to soften some of his stances.

But diplomats conceded as the talks began that the United States was unlikely to budge, meaning the final communique could be watered down significantly compared to the one the G7 unveiled at its last summit in Japan.

TRADE AND CLIMATE

The summit kicked off with a ceremony at an ancient Greek theater overlooking the sea, where war ships patrolled the sparkling blue waters. Nine fighter jets soared into the sky above Taormina, leaving a trail of smoke in the red-white-green colors of the Italian flag.

The leaders then adjourned to the San Domenico Palace, a one-time Dominican monastery that is now a luxury 5-star hotel. During World War Two, it housed Nazi air force chiefs.

Italy chose to stage the summit in Sicily to draw attention to Africa, which is 140 miles (225 km) from the island at its closest point across the Mediterranean.

More than half a million migrants, most from sub-Saharan Africa, have reached Italy by boat since 2014, taking advantage of the chaos in Libya to launch their perilous crossings.

But trade and climate, to be discussed on Friday afternoon, are the most contentious issues.

Trump, who dismissed human-made global warming as a "hoax" during his election campaign, is threatening to pull the United States out of a 2015 climate deal clinched in Paris in 2015.

Fellow G7 leaders are trying to convince him to stay in. Cohn and other administration officials have said Trump will wait until after the summit to decide.

"This is the first real opportunity that the international community has to force the American administration to begin to show its hand, particularly on environment policy," said Tristen Naylor, a lecturer on development at the University of Oxford and deputy director of the G20 Research Group.

On Thursday in Brussels, with NATO leaders standing alongside him, Trump accused members of the military alliance of owing "massive amounts of money" to the United States and NATO - even though allied contributions are voluntary.

The remarks went down badly with European leaders, who had hoped Trump would use the opportunity to confirm his commitment to Article 5, the core NATO principle that an attack on one member is viewed as an attack on all.

"When an American president cannot commit clearly to Article 5 at a time when everyone is expecting him to do this then there is the risk that Moscow interprets this as meaning it is no longer valid," said Jan Techau of the American Academy in Berlin.

"VERY BAD"

In a private meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Trump also denounced the German trade surplus as "very bad" and complained about the large number of German cars being sold in the United States, officials said.

Juncker tried to play down the comments ahead of the summit. But they underscored ongoing policy divisions between Trump and his partners four months after he took office.

Trump is attending his first major international summit but is not the only G7 newcomer. Macron, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and British Prime Minister Theresa May will also be attending the elite club for the first time.

May is expected to leave a day early, following Monday's suicide bombing at a concert in northern England that killed 22 people carried out by a suspected Islamist militant of Libyan descent who grew up in Britain.

G7 leaders were expected to issue a separate statement on terrorism on Friday, before issuing their formal communique on Saturday. Italian officials have suggested the final communique will be shorter than 10 pages. At the last G7 summit in Japan it totaled 32 pages.

One country that will not be present is Russia. It was expelled from the group in 2014 following its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Trump called for improved ties with Moscow during his election campaign.

But accusations from U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia intervened in the U.S. election to help Trump, and investigations into his campaign's contacts with Russian officials, have hung over his four-month-old presidency and prevented him from getting too close to Moscow.

On Thursday, the Washington Post and NBC News reported that Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner was under scrutiny by the FBI because of his meetings with Russian officials before Trump took office. One of Kushner's attorneys said her client would cooperate with the investigation.

Kushner and his wife, Trump's daughter Ivanka, have returned to Washington after accompanying the president for the first part of his first foreign tour.

Source: Reuters

Manchester bomber was part of a network: police

The Manchester suicide bomber who killed 22 people at a concert venue packed with children was part of a network, the city's chief of police said on Wednesday as troops were deployed across Britain to help prevent further attacks.

Police made three new arrests and searched an address in central Manchester in what police chief Ian Hopkins described as a fast-moving investigation.

"I think it's very clear that this is a network that we are investigating," Hopkins told reporters outside Manchester police headquarters.

"And as I've said, it continues at a pace. There's extensive investigations going on and activity taking place across Greater Manchester as we speak."

Earlier, interior minister Amber Rudd said the bomber, Salman Abedi, had recently returned from Libya. Her French counterpart Gerard Collomb said he had links with Islamic State and had probably visited Syria as well.

Rudd scolded U.S. officials for leaking details about the investigation into the Manchester attack before British authorities were prepared to go public.

The Manchester bombing has raised concern across Europe. Cities including Paris, Nice, Brussels, St Petersburg, Berlin and London have suffered militant attacks in the last two years.

British-born Abedi, 22, blew himself up on Monday night at the Manchester Arena indoor venue at the end of a concert by U.S. pop singer Ariana Grande attended by thousands of children and teenagers.

His 22 victims included an eight-year-old girl, several teenage girls, a 28-year-old man and a Polish couple who had come to collect their daughters.

Britain's official terror threat level was raised to "critical", the highest level, late on Tuesday, meaning an attack could be imminent.

Source: Reuters

'No turning back': PM May triggers 'historic' Brexit

Prime Minister Theresa May formally began Britain's divorce from the European Union on Wednesday, saying there was "no turning back" from a decision pitching her country into the unknown and triggering years of fraught negotiations.

Nine months after Britons voted to leave, May notified EU Council President Donald Tusk in a letter that Britain was quitting the bloc it joined in 1973.

"The United Kingdom is leaving the European Union," May later told parliament in London. "This is an historic moment from which there can be no turning back."

The prime minister, an initial opponent of Brexit who won the top job in the political turmoil that followed the referendum vote, now has two years to settle the terms of the divorce before it comes into effect in late March 2019.

May, 60, has one of the toughest jobs of any recent British prime minister: holding Britain together in the face of renewed Scottish independence demands, while conducting arduous talks with 27 other EU states on finance, trade, security and other complex issues.

The outcome of the negotiations will shape the future of Britain's $2.6 trillion economy, the world's fifth biggest, and determine whether London can keep its place as one of the top two global financial centers.

For the EU, already reeling from successive crises over debt and refugees, the loss of Britain is the biggest blow yet to 60 years of efforts to forge European unity in the wake of two world wars.

Its leaders say they do not want to punish Britain. But with nationalist, anti-EU parties on the rise across Europe, they cannot afford to give London generous terms that might encourage other member states to break away.

BREXIT DIVORCE

May's notice of the UK's intention to leave the bloc under Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty was hand-delivered to Tusk in Brussels by Tim Barrow, Britain's permanent representative to the EU.

Barrow gave the letter to Tusk, the EU summit chair and former Polish prime minister, in the Council President's offices on the top floor of the new Europa Building, according to a Reuters photographer in the room.

That moment formally set the clock ticking on Britain's two-year exit process. Sterling, which has lost 25 cents against the dollar since the June 23 referendum, jumped to $1.25.

May signed the Brexit letter on Tuesday, pictured alone at the cabinet table beneath a clock, a British flag and an oil-painting of Britain's first prime minister, Robert Walpole.

Source: Reuters

UK police: 2 new arrests in relation to Westminster attack, 9 in custody

Two more people have been arrested during police raids in relation to a terror attack on Westminster that left five dead, including the assailant, London Metropolitan Police said Friday.

Some nine people remained in police custody amid an ongoing security operation across the United Kingdom.

Speaking to the press outside New Scotland Yard, the Met's acting Deputy Commissioner and counter-terror chief, Mark Rowley said: "we have made two further significant arrests overnight_ one in the West Midlands and one in North West."

"We have searches at five addresses that are ongoing_ 16 searches have concluded. So far we have seized 2,700 items from our searches including massive amounts of computer data," Rowley continued.

He also named the 75-year-old man who died overnight in hospital from injuries sustained in the terror attack as Leslie Rhodes, from Streatham, south London.

Two people remained in a critical condition, including one person with life threatening injuries, he said.

Rowley said at least 50 people were injured in the attack, with 31 requiring hospital treatment.

He said those affected were of all ages and at least 12 nationalities, and added: "It is a poignant reminder that the impact of this attack on the Capital will reach around the world."

Rowley appealed to all members of the public to contact the police if they had any information regarding the attacker.

Over 3,500 witness had been contacted, he said.

Rowley also revealed that the birth name of the UK-born attacker was Adrian Russell Ajao, although he had later gone by the name Khalid Masood and other aliases.

"We remain keen to hear from anyone who knew Khalid Masood well; understands who his associates were; and can provide information about places he has recently visited," said Rowley.

In a speech to the lower house of Parliament on Thursday, British Prime Minister Theresa May said the attacker was believed to have acted alone and had some years ago been investigated by the interior security service, MI5.

"He was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic_ he was not part of the current intelligence picture," said May.

On Wednesday, Masood drove a car through crowds of pedestrians on Westminster Bridge killing three: Aysha Frade, a 43-year-old British national of Spanish origin, Kurt Cochran, an American tourist whose wife was injured in the attack, and Leslie Rhodes.

Masood then attacked police with a knife, killing Police Constable Keith Palmer before being shot dead by armed officers outside Parliament.

Rowley told the press on Friday that the number of armed police officers in London was at near double strength, while across the UK police numbers had been boosted by around a third.

Speaking about the commemorations that took place in central London late on Thursday, Rowley said the cross section of people who had gathered to remember sent a strong message.

"A strong message_ to those inspired by hate and extremism of all persuasions that we will not give in to those who seek to breed discord and fear," he said.

Source: EFE

EU asks Brazil to suspend meat shipments amid scandal

The European Union has asked Brazil to voluntarily suspend all shipments of meat to its member countries to avoid imposing a ban that would take time to lift, but the Brazilian government has not agreed, EU diplomats in Brasilia told Reuters on Thursday.

Brazilian meat exports have in any case ground almost to a halt following a police investigation into corruption involving food-sanitation inspectors and accusations that rotten products were sold.

A spokeswoman said Brazilian Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi was not aware of the request.

The Brazilian government suspended meat shipments from the 21 meat-packing plants under investigation by the federal police, while insisting the quality of Brazilian meat was not in doubt.

But European farm groups called on the EU Commission on Thursday to take stronger action against Brazilian meat imports because of the scandal. EU experts meet in Brussels on Friday to decide on possible further measures.

The EU had already suspended imports from four Brazilian meat-processing facilities earlier this week.

EU ambassadors have been seeking more information on the irregularities discovered in Brazil's meat industry and have criticized Brazil's government for failing to deal with the problem as a public health issue, according to a European diplomat who attended a EU meeting on Wednesday.

"We asked the Brazilians to suspend all exports but they refused," said the diplomat, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.

"There is overall disappointment with the way Brazil is treating this as a public relations issue rather than from a public health point of view," the diplomat said.

Another European diplomatic source confirmed the request that Brazil voluntarily suspend all meat shipments to the EU because a ban would take a long time to undo, whereas meat sales could resume at any time if Brazil held off shipments.

LARGEST MEAT EXPORTER

The corruption scandal has hurt Brazil's reputation as the world's largest meat exporter, with sales of almost $14 billion last year. The industry employs 4 million workers.

Brazil's JBS S.A. (JBSS3.SA), the world's biggest meat processor, said on Thursday it suspended beef production at 33 of its 36 plants in Brazil for three days because of the lack of sales.

A dozen countries, including Brazil's largest trading partner, China, have suspended imports of Brazilian meat as a precaution, and eight others have stopped imports from the plants under investigation.

Brazil exported beef, chicken, pork and other meat products worth $1.76 billion to EU members in 2017, and a similar amount to China, where some of the largest Chinese food suppliers have pulled Brazilian beef and poultry from shelves.

Brazilian President Michel Temer said he would call his Chinese counterpart to urge China to review its import ban.

Maggi said on Wednesday that Brazilian meat exports sank to $74,000 on Tuesday from a daily average of $63 million. He told a congressional hearing the scandal could cost the meatpackers $1.5 billion or 10 percent of annual meat exports.

He said on Thursday the police announcement of the corruption probe was exaggerated and wrongly suggested meat quality was being investigated instead of the individuals who violated sanitary rules.

Still, European farm groups Copa and Cogeca said corruption cases were unacceptable.

Brazil's failure to apply EU-equivalent food safety standards raises "serious concerns" about ongoing trade talks between the EU and South American trade bloc Mercosur that Brazil is part of, they said in a letter to the EU Commission.

Source: Reuters

UK Parliament suspends session as shots heard, police seen on London bridge

The United Kingdom's lower chamber temporarily suspended a debate session on Wednesday as shots were heard outside, the Houses of Parliament said.

Television images showed police activity on Westminster Bridge next to the clock tower housing Big Ben.

House of Commons leader David Lidington told lawmakers in the House of Commons that a "police officer has been stabbed," adding that an "alleged assailant was shot by armed police."

Television coverage from inside Parliament showed the debate being brought to a close.

The Westminster parliament was reportedly on lockdown as police deployed security personnel.

Source: EFE

Explosion, fire at French nuclear reactor, no radiation risk involved

An explosion and fire took place Thursday at a French nuclear power plant in the region of Normandie and according to the power utility company that operates the plant, no radiation was released.

The explosion was reported at an Electricite de France (EDF) nuclear power plant in Flamanville, north France.

"Flamanville 1, a fire was controlled in a non-nuclear zone," EDF said on its official Twitter account. "No casualties and no consequences for safety and the environment," the energy giant added.

Initial reports mentioned five people suffered from smoke inhalation but no radiation risk was reported, according to the local prefecture.

According to the EDF Flamanville's website, the incident took place at 9:45 am in the engine-room of reactor number 1, that has been in service since 1986.

The reactor was automatically shut down and switched off the national grid in accordance with safety protocols.

Flamanville also has a second working nuclear reactor on the site. A third model, an EPR water pressurised reactor, a third-generation design that is also being built in the United Kingdom, is currently under construction at Flamanville but is years behind schedule.

The prefect of La Manche, Jacques Witkowski declared the incident as "over."

Although the cause was not yet known, an overheated ventilation system in the engine room appeared to have caught fire and affected a transformer that exploded.

The transformer's electrical insulation provoked a fire that belched thick clouds of smoke, but there was no radiation risk involved, Witkowski said.

A technical inquiry will examine the causes of the incident, he said.

EDF also released a statement saying the fire "is under control."

According to EDF, Flamanville 3 "is due to go commercial in 2018," the company said in a statement. "It will be the first in the series of a new generation of nuclear reactors," it added.

However, the delayed project has been the target of protests by environmental groups in France and the UK.

Source: EFE

Craft that carried Tim Peake to and from space exhibited in London

A spacecraft that carried British astronaut Tim Peake on his return journey to the International Space Station is to be exhibited at the London Science Museum starting from Thursday.

Peake, along with Russian Yuri Malenchenko and American Tim Kopra, rode the Soyuz TMA-19M to the ISS in 2015 and then back down to Earth on Jun. 18, 2016, having spent six months taking part in experiments and space walks.

Source: EFE

NATO, Russia and trade top the agenda for Trump talks with Britain's May

U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May, who share an unusual bond as the products of anti-establishment uprisings, will sit down on Friday for what could be a difficult search for unity on NATO, Russia and trade.

The meeting will mark Trump’s first with a foreign leader since taking power a week ago, and it could go a long way toward determining how crucial Trump considers the traditional “special relationship” between the two countries.

Trump rode an anti-Washington wave to win on Nov. 8, and May gained power in July after the "Brexit" vote that has put her country on a path to separate from the European Union. The meeting will conclude with a joint White House news conference.

Trump has declared NATO obsolete and expressed a desire for warmer ties with Russia. May considers the trans-Atlantic alliance crucial and is skeptical of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

They both want to begin work on a bilateral trade agreement, which for May would provide proof of stability amid the Brexit breakup and for Trump would support his belief that he can negotiate one-on-one trade pacts.

"They both need this to be a success," said Heather Conley, a European expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.

Trump, she said, "needs to demonstrate that he has a command of issues" while May "needs to hear strong messages of support for her vision of a Britain that works for everyone, a global Britain."

May, in a speech to Republican lawmakers gathered in Philadelphia on Thursday, suggested she saw the need for some reforms in NATO and for more countries to pay more to the alliance to help fund it, which has been Trump's main complaint about NATO.

"America’s leadership role in NATO – supported by Britain – must be the central element around which the alliance is built," May said.

But she said that EU nations "must step up" to ensure NATO remains the cornerstone of the West's defense.

Trump and May also seem somewhat at odds over how to deal with Russia. In her speech, May said Western leaders should "engage but beware" of Putin and should not accept Putin's claim that Eastern Europe is now in his sphere of influence.Trump, on the other hand, wants a strong U.S. relationship with Russia to fight Islamic State militants.

"I don't know Putin, but if we can get along with Russia, that's a great thing," Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity" on Thursday. "It's good for Russia, it's good for us."

Source: Reuters

UK bank freezes all accounts belonging to Russian state broadcaster

A bank in the United Kingdom on Monday froze all accounts belonging to the state-owned Russian broadcaster RT, according to the editor-in-chief.

National Westminster (NatWest), which belongs to the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, took the decision to withdraw from business with RT (originally Russia Today) following a review of the broadcasting company's banking arrangements.

Source: EFE

Facebook reports 11-million-pound UK tax credit as revenues soar

Facebook said its main UK subsidiary generated an 11-million-pound tax credit in 2015 even as revenues soared, thanks to its tax efficient structure, accounts published on the weekend showed.

Analysts say Facebook generates hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from UK clients each year but until this year all transactions were booked in Ireland, minimizing the social media group's UK tax bill.

Facebook UK Ltd is funded by affiliates such as the main Irish unit. It received over 210 million pounds ($261.14 million) in 2015 from these affiliates. But that wasn't enough to cover its costs and the UK subsidiary reported a loss of 52 million pounds.

A spokeswoman said Facebook paid all the taxes it was required to under UK law.

“We are proud that in 2015 we have continued to grow our business in the UK and created over 300 new high skilled jobs,” she added.

UK politicians, spurred by public anger about corporate tax avoidance, have criticized the tax arrangements of Facebook and other U.S. tech giants in recent years. The companies exploit loopholes in U.S. and international tax rules to pay almost no tax on non-U.S. profits.

Last year, the UK government introduced a new tax to target structures like Facebook’s. In March, Facebook said it would begin to report some UK revenues in Britain from 2016, although it’s unclear what impact, if any, this change will have on its tax bill.

Facebook's UK loss was swelled by charges for share incentive schemes, which have not yet vested.

Facebook won’t get the benefit of the tax deduction until this happens, which means the company may still have to pay tax for 2015. Excluding the deduction for share schemes, Facebook would have a tax bill of 4 million pounds for last year.

However, the spokeswoman declined to say if Facebook had paid any tax in respect of 2015.

Facebook reported worldwide net income of $3.7 billion last year, on turnover of $17.9 billion, according to its annual report. European revenue jumped 34 percent last year to $1.4 billion.

Source: Reuters

Post-Brexit EU needs joint military HQ, Juncker says

The European Union's chief executive called on Wednesday for a joint command headquarters for EU military missions and greater defense cooperation, reviving long-running efforts to reduce reliance on the United States.

In his annual speech to the European Parliament, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said no single EU government had a military big enough to deal with security challenges on Europe's doorstep, from Islamic militants to a more hostile Russia.

The proposals, echoing a plan put forward this week by France and Germany, are part of a broader attempt to rally EU nations after Britain's vote to leave the bloc and to capitalize on its departure - London having opposed the idea.

"We must have a European headquarters and so we should work towards a common military force," Juncker told the European Parliament, although officials stressed this did not amount to an EU army. "This should be to complement NATO," he said, also outlining proposals for a common defense fund.

EU leaders struggling for support have identified security as one of citizens' main concerns following militant attacks in Paris, Brussels and Nice over the last year. Washington is keen to see Europe do more in its own neighborhood and U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump has questioned whether NATO should support allies not seen to be spending enough on defense.

Leaders must also compensate for Britain's departure from the bloc. As Europe's biggest-spending European power, the British exit could reduce the EU's military capacity by a quarter without steps to remedy the situation, analysts say.

Even before Britain's decision to leave the EU, years of defense budget cuts, as well as militaries that work in isolation, have diminished Europe's ability to run missions including peace keeping, disaster relief and counter-terrorism operations at home and abroad.

The plan, which follows failed attempts in the 1950s and the 1990s, would not mean soldiers all wear the same uniforms, EU officials say. It involves more cooperation among countries that wish to run missions together, while avoiding duplication in developing military assets at the industrial level.

More than three-quarters of EU government defense contracts are awarded to their national industries, while the bloc has 19 types of armored infantry fighting vehicle, compared to just one in the United States, according to EU data.

"From an economic point of view, bringing together our military resources could be clearly justified," Juncker said. "The lack of cooperation is something that is costing Europe 20 to 100 billion euros a year," he said.

Still, the United States is wary about a new EU military headquarters, worried it would replicate NATO's command center, the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, in Belgium.

Washington wants to see EU governments spend more money on equipment and not waste it on headquarters. One solution could be to turn an existing national army and navy command center in Germany or France into a European headquarters, experts say.

Source: Reuters

No lead foot here...UK athletes dazzle Rio with LED shoes

The red, white and blue LED shoes of the British Olympic team clearly outshone the rest at the 2016 Rio Olympics Sunday night closing ceremony at Maracaná Stadium.

The colorful intermitent lights made the UK team instantly recognizable from any point of the stadium and set them apart from the other teams.

Source: EFE

Andrea Leadsom drops out UK race to replace PM David Cameron

Energy spokeswoman Andrea Leadsom on Monday dropped out of the contest to become leader of the British Conservative Party and the United Kingdom's next prime minister.

Announcing her withdrawal to the press in central London, Leadsom wished remaining leadership contender, Theresa May, "the very greatest success."

Adding that she had her "full support."

The Conservatives must decide who is to replace David Cameron as government leader.

What happens next will depend on the 1922 Committee, a private Conservative Committee of lawmakers, who are due to set out a timetable regarding to the change of leader.

David Cameron announced his resignation as British Prime Minister on June 24, 2016, after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union.

Source: EFE

The USA, EU meet to advance TTIP negotiations in wake of UK's Brexit

The United States and the European Union exchanged a large number of proposals linked to a huge free-trade deal between the two on Monday with a view to reaching agreements before President Barack Obama's term in office ends.

The meeting was the 14th round of negotiations for the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a US-EU bilateral free trade and investment agreement encompassing half the world's economy.

Source: EFE

Nigel Farage resigns as UKIP leader

Prominent leave campaigner Nigel Farage stepped down Monday as leader of the eurosceptic United Kingdom Independence Party.

Announcing his resignation to the press, Farage said that he had achieved his political goal in light of the UK's decision to leave the European Union in the June 23 referendum.

"My aim in being in politics was to get Britain out of the EU, that is what we voted for in that referendum two weeks ago," Farage said.

"I've done my bit, I couldn't possibly achieve more."

Farage, who is also a member of the European Parliament, had been UKIP leader since 2010 and had spent the majority of his political life advocating for the UK's departure from the EU.

He said he would "continue to support the party, support the new leader, watch the renegotiation process in Brussels like a hawk and, perhaps, comment in the European Parliament."

A central figure in the "leave" campaign in the lead up to the UK's EU referendum, Farage described Friday June 24 as British "independence day."

His role in the campaign drew accusations of populism and xenophobia from politicians on both sides of the campaign.

One controversial "leave" poster depicted a line of migrants on the Slovenian border with the words "Breaking Point."

Leader of the "remain" campaign and British Prime Minister David Cameron said the poster was "wrong in fact and in motivation."

Farage said the referendum campaign had been difficult at times.

"During the referendum I said that I wanted to take back my country, what I am saying today is that I want to take back my life and I will start right now," Farage said.

Farage had previously announced he would stand down after losing the South Thanet constituency in the 2015 general elections but he stayed on as leader after the party rejected his resignation.

Source: EFE

Brexit rocks U.S. financial markets

Stocks plunged Friday in early trading on the New York Stock Market following Britain's vote to leave the European Union.

The Dow Jones Industrial average fell 409.87 points, or 2.28 percent, in the 30 minutes after the opening bell, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq tumbled 2.74 percent as investors and traders reacted to the British exit - Brexit - from the European bloc.

Source: EFE

European Commission chief warns no new negotiations with U.K.

Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, or EC, said that there will be no new negotiations with the United Kingdom, which has already obtained the "maximum" gains from the European Union.

Juncker's remarks came following a meeting with Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern.

Source: EFE

Drone to police massive UK marine reserve

The UK said it would establish the 834,000-sq-km (322,000-sq-mile) zone around the Pitcairn Islands in the Pacific in 2015.

Data gathered by the drone will be beamed back to a satellite watch room to help prosecute unauthorised trawling.

The drone will patrol areas in the reserve designated as no-fishing zones.

Unique species

The drone, made by US firm Liquid Robotics, will be directed by staff at the satellite watch room which is monitoring fishing vessels. The craft is equipped with a camera that can take snaps of fishing vessels that are in restricted areas, and satellite technology that can pinpoint their location. The unmanned craft starting patrolling late last month.

The Liquid Robotics drone, called a Wave Glider, is a two-part craft made up of an instrument-bearing boat that floats on the ocean surface that is tethered to a submersible. The craft uses the differential motion between the sea surface and the region the submersible traverses to propel itself.

The self-propelling propulsion system means the Wave Glider can stay at sea for months at a time.


The UK said it would established the marine-protected area in the Pitcairns in 2015 and, at the same time, created a watchdog organisation that would try to protect its abundant sea life from fishing.

The seas around the Pitcairns are believed to be home to more than 1,200 species of fish, marine mammals and birds - some of which are unique to the region. It also supports the world's deepest and most well-developed coral reef.

The watch room to oversee the region has been created in the Harwell science park in Oxfordshire with funding from the UK government and the Swiss Bertarelli Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Source: BBC