US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson may have signalled a radical shift in US policy, when he appeared to say at a press conference in Turkey that the issue of Syrian President Assad’s future was one for the Syrian people to decide.
Tillerson’s exact words are reported to have been
I think the … longer term status of President Assad will be decided by the Syrian people
Yesterday British Prime Minister Theresa May signed a letter addressed to the EU, informing the EU that Britain is invoking its right under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to quit the EU, thereby formally commencing Britain’s Brexit process
Today that letter was hand delivered by the British government to Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, and to the rest of the EU leadership in Brussels
The High Court in London this morning granted Russia’s request for an expedited hearing (ie. summary Judgment) of its claim against Ukraine arising from Ukraine’s non-payment of the $3 billion loan Ukraine owes Russia.
An old English aphorism says that ‘British elections are the lull before the lull’. Increasingly, the Brexit process is conforming to this notion.
Hours ago, the British Prime Minister signed what can now be termed the longest letter of intent in history. The letter, whose text is still unknown, declares Britain’s formal request to withdraw from the EU; the triggering of Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty.
That Ukrainian authorities’ reason for banning Yulia Samoilova, Russia’s entrant in the Eurovision Song Contest due to be held shortly in Kiev, from entering Ukraine is to prevent any Russian participation in the Contest at all, became clearer today when the Ukrainian authorities rejected a proposal from the Contest organisers that Samoilova be allowed to participate in the Contest via satellite.
It’s been barely 24 hours since the terror attack in London in which 3 died and many more were injured.
Khalid Masood drove a rental car into a crowd on a London bridge and then when on a rampage armed with a knife, killing one police officer before he was shot dead.
Now it appears a possible copycat attack may have been stopped in Belgium.
As more and more details emerge about the deadly attack at the British parliament on Wednesday, the name of another of the victims, US citizen Kurt Cochran, has been revealed.
US President Trump was quick to react on twitter, calling Cochran “a great American” and saying his prayers were with the family.
Terrorism is a border-less problem, even Great Britain which has no land borders is not immune from homegrown and foreign terrorists.
The recent attack on civilians outside the UK Parliament is just one such example of this truth that many cannot accept.
Not only can many not accept it, but they would rather pursue meaningless fights against other nations whose citizens and infrastructure are subject to the daily reality of terrorism, rather than join them in a collective effort to fight terrorism as part of something resembling a united front.
Information is still trickling in but there is now no doubt a major terrorist attack has taken place in London.
Here is what we know so far:
(1) a man armed with a knife managed to penetrate the security barrier around the UK Parliament building (‘the Palace of Westminster’). There are some reports that he did this after a car intentionally crashed into the barrier. The man managed to kill a police officer before being himself gunned down by armed police. It is not confirmed whether or not he is still alive.
Reports are circulating of a violent incident near the British Parliament building.
Reports say that a police officer has been wounded by an attacker with a knife, who was subsequently shot down by armed police.
Reports also speak of further incidents taking place elsewhere within the immediate area of the British Parliament building, and of British Prime Minister Theresa May being seen leaving the Parliament building in an official Jaguar car. The British authorities have confirmed that she is safe.
