News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

EU parliament debates Brexit

The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, says he's imposed a ban on any EU commissioner talking with British government representatives before the UK formalises its intention to withdraw from the EU. Addressing the European Parliament, he said that following last week's referendum Britain must move quickly to begin the process. Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, who represents the Dutch EU presidency, said the transition should be as short as possible, and called for calm: "No one will benefit from a prolonged period of political limbo. Let's also allow the UK the time it needs to recuperate and to take the necessary decisions. In other words, cool heads must now prevail." The British Prime Minister David Cameron will face European leaders at an emergency meeting in Brussels later today - for the first time since the UK voted to leave the EU.

Tax rises and spending cuts forecast for UK

The British Finance Minister, George Osborne, says the UK will become poorer following the referendum result, and that Britain's withdrawal from the EU will lead to an economic downturn. He warned that the new Conservative government would have to introduce tax rises and spending cuts within months. Meanwhile, the credit rating agency Standard & Poor's has stripped the UK of its top triple A credit rating, while rival agency Fitch said fears about the impact of the referendum on Britain's public finances had also prompted it to lower its assessment. Maurice Kramer is the chief ratings officer at Standard & Poor's: "The predictability of policy making in the UK is not quite what we believed it was, so it's very difficult going forward to come to the view that the effectiveness and the transparency and the stability of policy making in the UK is still among the best in the world."

Volkswagen reaches US emissions settlement

Volkswagen has reportedly agreed to pay around 15 billion dollars in the United States, to settle claims made in the wake of the vehicle emissions scandal. The settlement is the largest of its kind in American history, and is expected to be announced later today in Washington. Last year, US regulators discovered that VW cars were fitted with software that could distort emissions tests.

EgyptAir flight data recorder repaired

Investigators have managed to repair the flight data recorder of an EgyptAir plane that crashed last month - killing all 66 people on board. Experts will now be able to analyse data that could explain why the jet plunged into the Mediterranean.

Iceland reach Euro 2016 quarter-finals

And Iceland is celebrating the biggest shock win in the Euro 2016 football tournament. They beat England 2-1 last night in Nice, at the last-16 stage. Roy Hodgson resigned as England manager after the match.

The weather

Mostly sunny and warm with a chance of scattered rain showers in the north and northeast. Top temperatures ranging from 20 to 28 degrees.

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