Brexit compounded UK's shortage of doctors, says study

LONDON, United Kingdom - Brexit has compounded a shortage of doctors in Britain, with an estimated shortfall of 4,000 in major specialty areas from EU countries, a study published Sunday said.

It comes as the crisis-hit NHS state-funded health service struggles after years of underfinancing, with record waiting lists for some hospital care due to the Covid pandemic but also a lack of doctors and nurses.

The Nuffield Trust, an independent health think tank, focused on four fields of medicine -- anaesthesia, pediatrics, cardio-thoracic surgery and psychiatry -- where European doctors had been particularly relied upon before the UK left the European Union.

It found that in the four areas -- where recruitment was already challenging -- "the increase in EU and EFTA (European Free Trade Association) staff slowed down, falling below the projected increase".

If the trend seen before Brexit had continued, there should have been more than 41,000 doctors from the EU or EFTA (Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein) registered in 2021, or at least 4,000 more than the figures showed.

"The campaign and result of the EU referendum is the obvious reason for a change in trend around 2015 and 2016," the study, commissioned by The Guardian newspaper, said.

It highlighted initial uncertainty over new rules for the movement of people, followed by tighter visa rules and "deteriorating work conditions" in the health system.

"The findings suggest that stagnation in the number of EU doctors in these specialities has exacerbated existing shortages in areas where the NHS has not been able to find enough qualified staff elsewhere," it added.

The Royal College of Nursing last week announced that its members would next month hold their first strike action in the union's 106-year history in England and Wales, citing pay, conditions -- and chronic staff shortages.

Agence France-Presse

High energy prices threaten UK hospital services

LONDON — UK hospitals bosses on Thursday warned that patient care may have to be cut to offset huge increases in energy bills over the winter months.

Most hospital groups contacted by medical journal the BMJ said they expected bills to at least double, as the price hikes kicked in.

The NHS Confederation, which represents health providers in the publicly funded National Health Service, said there would be a knock-on effect.

"The gap in funding from rising inflation will either have to be made up by fewer staff being employed, longer waiting times for care or other areas of patient care being cut back," the group's senior acute lead, Rory Deighton, told the BMJ.

"A failure to properly compensate the NHS for inflation will only heighten pressure on our health service as we move towards a winter that we know will be particularly challenging this year."

UK inflation is at a 40-year high of 10.1 percent with dire predictions that rates could climb to 18 percent or more next year.

Last week households were told that their gas and electricity bills would go up by 80 percent from October, with further rises set for next year.

But non-domestic customers are not covered by the energy price cap, making them more vulnerable to the surge in wholesale prices.

Businesses across the board have warned the huge increases could force many to close if the government does nothing to help.

The BMJ said bosses at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital in London told it that they expected an energy bill of about £650,000 a month in January and February next year.

At the same time last year, it was about £350,000.

Sheffield Children's Hospital in northern England has anticipated a rise of nearly 130 percent in its total bill for 2022-23.

But Nottingham University Hospital in central England has budgeted for a 214-percent rise in gas and electricity this year, it added.

NHS England set aside £1.5 billion to cover an expected £485-million increase in energy bills. But the estimate was made in May and prices have risen again, prompting concern it may not be enough.

'BREAKING POINT'

The situation only adds to a growing catalogue of problems faced by the publicly funded National Health Service.

The NHS, created in 1948 to provide free healthcare and paid out of general taxation, is a cherished British institution.

But the system, which costs £190 billion a year to run and employs some 1.2 million people in England alone, has long faced significant under-funding.

The NHS Confederation's Deighton said the UK's new prime minister, to be installed next week, needs to act immediately to offset cost of living increases.

"The NHS needs at least £3.4 billion to make up for inflation during this year alone, and that is before we face a winter of even higher wholesale energy prices," he added.

Deighton's boss, chief executive Matthew Taylor, told The Guardian this week that the NHS was "in its worst state in living memory".

Problems include chronic staff shortages, overcrowded accident and emergency departments, ambulance delays and lengthy waiting lists for treatment.

One experienced A&E doctor wrote on the UnHerd website this month that the service was "at breaking point", with patients at risk.

Health experts say the crisis is decades in the making but has been exacerbated by squeezed budgets over the last 12 years of Conservative government, Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic.

Nurses and junior doctors are currently being balloted for strike action as part of widespread industrial action over below-inflation pay offers.

NHS health and social care workers were hailed as heroes during the pandemic but in a sign of the crisis, some hospitals have set up food banks for staff struggling with the rising cost of living.

One NHS manager told LBC radio on Tuesday he was planning to convert spare hospital space into "warm rooms" for employees unable to afford winter heating at home.

Agence France-Presse

UK supermarkets ask shoppers to keep wearing masks

LONDON - Britain's biggest supermarket groups will encourage staff and customers to keep wearing face coverings from Monday despite new rules making it a matter of personal choice.

The government is removing most pandemic restrictions from July 19 in England, saying a rapid rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has largely broken the link between infections and serious illness or death.

Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons and Aldi all said they would prefer staff and customers to keep wearing masks.

The groups - who are among Britain's biggest private sector employers - said they would keep other safety measures in place, including limits on the number of people in stores, protective screens at checkouts and regular cleaning.

"We’re asking our customers and colleagues to be on the safe side," Tesco, Britain's biggest supermarket group, said.

An opinion poll published on Thursday by Kantar Public found two thirds of people wanted some, most or all of the coronavirus restrictions to remain and 60% thought everyone should continue to wear face masks in shops and on public transport.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has acknowledged that a wave of infections is inevitable when restrictions end, but said worse harm would come from keeping the economy shut and pointed to the successful vaccine rollout.

Government advice is that people should still wear masks in crowded areas. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said they will remain mandatory on the capital's public transport network.

In Scotland and Wales face coverings remain a legal requirement. 

-reuters

Canada bans passenger flights from India, Pakistan for 30 days

OTTAWA - Canada suspended all passenger flights from India and Pakistan on Thursday for 30 days, Transportation Minister Omar Alghabra announced, citing increased Covid-19 cases detected in travelers arriving from these countries.

"Given the higher number of cases of Covid-19 detected in air passengers arriving in Canada from India and Pakistan... I am suspending all commercial and private passenger flights arriving in Canada from Indian and Pakistan for 30 days," Alghabra told a news conference.

"This is a temporary measure, while we assess the evolving situation and determine appropriate measures going forward," he added.

The restriction will go into effect at 11:30 pm Eastern Time Thursday (0330 GMT Friday).

It will not apply to cargo flights, Alghabra said, particularly to ensure the continued shipment of vaccines, personal protective equipment and other essential goods.

India, which is undergoing an alarming surge being blamed on a "double mutant" variant and super-spreader events, reported a single-day high of more than 300,000 new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday.

Health Minister Patty Hajdu said that overall only 1.8 percent of travelers to Canada have tested positive for coronavirus.

While India accounts for 20 percent of recent air travel to Canada, more than half of all positive tests at the border were from flights arriving from the country, she said, adding that "a similarly high level of cases... have also been linked to Pakistan."

"It is a significant volume," she said, "and given the epidemiological situation in India, it makes sense to pause travel from that region while our scientists and researchers (try) to better understand this variance of interest, to better understand where the trajectory of the cases in that region are going."

BAN ON NON-ESSENTIAL FLIGHTS

Health Canada data showed 18 flights from Delhi and two from Lahore, to Toronto or Vancouver, in the past two weeks had at least one passenger onboard who was diagnosed with the illness.

Canada last December briefly suspended flights from Britain over concerns about outbreaks of a Covid variant. 

Earlier on Thursday Parliament voted unanimously to urge the government to ban non-essential flights from Covid hotspots where variants have surged, including India and Brazil.

Alghabra said there are currently no scheduled flights between Canada and Brazil, but added that "we will not hesitate to ban travel to other countries if the science bears that out."

Several dozen cases of the variant of the virus initially declared in India have already been identified in Canada, according to media reports.

Some countries have taken similar steps to prevent worsening outbreaks due to this variant: the United Arab Emirates announced Thursday that it will suspend all flights from India.

Britain also this week banned entry to travelers from India, and France has announced that they will be subject to a 10-day quarantine upon arrival in the country.

All travelers to Canada are already subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine. They must also present a negative Covid test before boarding an international flight, and another upon arrival in Canada.

Struggling with a third wave of infections, Canada recorded 9,000 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, bringing its total to 1,151,276 cases and 23,812 deaths.

Agence France-Presse

Queen Elizabeth makes first appearance since Harry and Meghan interview

LONDON - Britain's Queen Elizabeth has made her first appearance since a tell-all interview by grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan rocked the monarchy, but made no reference to the crisis it had caused her family.

During the Oprah Winfrey interview, Meghan said a member of the royal family had made a racist comment and Harry criticized his relatives for how they dealt with press treatment of his wife, with the fallout dominating the British media since it aired last Sunday.

On Thursday, Harry's elder brother Prince William told reporters "we're very much not a racist family", the day after the 94-year-old monarch herself issued a statement on behalf of the royals in which she said they were saddened by how challenging the couple had found the last few years.

The Sun newspaper, citing an unnamed source, said Harry's father, heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, had wanted to issue a point by point rebuttal, but the royal family had decided not to get involved in a 'tit for tat' battle.

In a video call with scientists and schoolchildren to mark British Science Week, the queen did not refer to the interview at all, the royals' usual approach to what they have said was a private, family matter.

Instead she discussed the latest updates from NASA's Mars Perseverance mission, as well as the discovery of a rare meteorite which landed in Gloucestershire, western England last month, the first to be recovered in the United Kingdom for 30 years.

"I’m glad it didn't hit anyone," the queen quipped during the "virtual showcase", which took place on Wednesday although details were only released by Buckingham Palace on Friday.

When told by space scientist and broadcaster Maggie Aderin-Pocock that she had been inspired to follow her career by the exploits of Russian Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space in 1961, Elizabeth, who has reigned for 69 years, recounted that she had met him shortly afterwards at Buckingham Palace.

Asked what he was like, she replied: "Russian, he didn't speak English. He was fascinating and I suppose being the first one, it was particularly fascinating." 

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Kate Holton)

-reuters

Britain starts mandatory self-quarantine for arrivals

Britain introduced a two-week quarantine on Monday for most people arriving from abroad to try to limit the spread of the coronavirus, sparking condemnation from the ailing aviation sector, which claims it could cost tens of thousands of jobs.

British residents and overseas visitors will have to comply with the 14-day self-isolation rules or face a £1,000 ($1,250, 1,125-euro) fine or prosecution.

Critics question why Britain, which has been hardest hit by COVID-19 in Europe and is only gradually easing a lockdown, is inflicting more pain on hotels and airlines by reducing travel from countries with fewer virus cases.

British Airways and budget carriers EasyJet and Ryanair have launched joint legal proceedings against the government over what they called a "disproportionate and unfair" step.

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary told Sky News television on Monday the plan was "useless" and unenforceable, and said it would "devastate thousands of jobs in British tourism".

The chief executive of London's Heathrow, John Holland-Kaye, told the City AM newspaper it could lead to the loss of potentially 25,000 jobs at his airport -- a third of staff.

But Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the new rules made sense because "the proportion of infections that come from abroad increases" as Britain's own caseload drops.

"We've got to take an approach that starts with caution," he told Sky News.

To enter Britain by plane, train, road or sea, travellers must provide details of their journey and the address where they will self-isolate.

How the quarantine will be implemented differs between Britain's devolved nations, and the measures will be assessed every three weeks.

Exemptions are being made in several cases -- including for lorry drivers, "essential" healthcare workers and people travelling from Ireland who have been there for at least two weeks.

- Travel corridor hopes -

At London's Heathrow Airport, where only two of the five terminals are operating due to reduced travel, the quarantine got a mixed reception.

"It's a good idea," said Sandy Banks, 45, returning to Britain with her three children from Jamaica via the United States. "Other countries are doing it."

But a 52-year-old Dutch lawyer living in London, who wished to remain anonymous, called it a "political thing".

"I just think it's a bonkers idea. More people are ill and dying in the UK; probably Europe should be protected from us."

Britain's official death toll is 40,542 -- second only to the United States.

Home Secretary Priti Patel told sceptical lawmakers in parliament last week the measure was "backed by the science, supported by the public, and essential to save lives".

But main opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer called it a "blunt instrument".

"Weeks ago other countries put quarantine in and we didn't, now as everybody's lifting it we are putting it in," he told LBC radio, adding he would prefer testing within airports.

As part of the gradual easing of lockdown restrictions, non-essential retail outlets will reopen from June 15. Restaurants and bars will follow with a limited service in early July.

But the devastated hospitality sector relies heavily on tourists, and business leaders fear the quarantine will mean much of the summer season will be lost.

It comes after heavily-hit Italy reopened its borders last week and other European states follow suit.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government is trying to arrange "travel corridors" with countries such as France and Spain that could see them lift their quarantine demands.

But officials are reportedly giving themselves until late June to strike these deals -- and the airlines behind the lawsuit say they cannot wait that long.

"These measures are disproportionate and unfair on British citizens as well as international visitors arriving in the UK," the airlines said in a joint statement.

The quarantine "will have a devastating effect on (the) UK's tourism industry and will destroy thousands of jobs in this unprecedented crisis", they said.

Agence France-Presse

Europe steps up reopening, unveils plans for summer travel

Europe moved ahead with its emergence from coronavirus lockdown on Wednesday and laid out plans for summer tourism, but the pandemic gathered pace elsewhere.

Britain followed France, Italy and Spain in easing its lockdown but only in England, where people were given more freedom to leave their homes and return to their jobs if they cannot work remotely.

Austria said its borders with Germany would reopen from mid-June and Berlin said it aimed to end virus checks at its land borders in about a month.

Desperate to save millions of tourism jobs, the European Union set out plans for a phased restart of travel this summer, with EU border controls eventually lifted and measures to minimise the risks of infection, like wearing face masks on shared transport.

"Today's guidance can be the chance of a better season for the many Europeans whose livelihood depends on tourism and, of course, for those who would like to travel this summer," EU Commission executive vice president Margrethe Vestager told reporters.

- Second wave fears -

But with the global death toll from the coronavirus exceeding 292,000, the picture was grim in other parts of the world.

Russia, now the country with the second-highest number of virus cases, recorded more than 10,000 new infections after authorities this week eased restrictions to allow some people back to work.

Brazil registered its highest virus death toll in a single day, with 881 new fatalities bringing the total to 12,400, and the country was emerging as a new global hotspot despite President Jair Bolsonaro dismissing the pandemic as a "little flu".

Fears were growing of a second wave of infections in China, with the northeastern city of Jilin put in partial lockdown and Wuhan, where the virus was first reported last year, planning to test its entire population after clusters of new cases.

- 'Risk of uncontrollable outbreak' -

And the United States, which has confirmed more than 1.36 million cases, saw a sharp rise in fatalities, with 1,894 new deaths reported on Tuesday after daily tolls fell below 1,000.

The country's top infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci issued a stark warning about the dangers of resuming normal life too soon, saying a run of 14 days with falling cases was a vital first step.

"If a community or a state or region doesn't go by those guidelines and reopens... the consequences could be really serious," he said Tuesday.


"There is a real risk that you will trigger an outbreak that you may not be able to control."

Fauci said the true number killed by the epidemic in the US is likely greater than the official toll of over 82,000 -- the world's highest.

Facing a re-election campaign later this year, President Donald Trump is pressing for rapid steps to get the US economy moving again, despite warnings from health officials.

Washington has increasingly blamed China for the global outbreak and on Wednesday authorities warned healthcare and scientific researchers that Chinese-backed hackers were attempting to steal research and intellectual property related to treatments and vaccines for the coronavirus.

"China's efforts to target these sectors pose a significant threat to our nation's response to COVID-19," a statement from the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said.

- Moves to reboot economies -

Countries around the world are grappling with how to reopen businesses after the pandemic forced half of the planet into some form of lockdown and ground the global economy to a near-halt.


Dire economic data from March and April have pointed to the worst downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s after millions of people were thrown out of work.

Figures from Britain on Wednesday showed its economy shrinking by two percent in January-March, its fastest slump since 2008 and with a far worse contraction to come.

The Bank of England last week warned that the economic paralysis could lead to Britain's worst recession in centuries, with output forecast to crash 14 percent this year.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said shutdowns in the United States would do "lasting damage" but "the economy should substantially recover once the virus is under control".

He said crisis measures, including spending beyond the nearly $3 trillion already approved in the United States, would be crucial to ensuring a strong recovery.

Health experts have warned of the potentially devastating consequences as the virus spreads through the developing world, where healthcare systems are under-funded and isolation regimes are often not possible.

- 'Tough old lady' -

In northern Nigeria, surging death tolls have sparked fears that the virus is spreading, with a team of government investigators saying hundreds of deaths were suspected to be linked to the pandemic.

Making the problem worse, hospitals have shut their doors to the sick out of fears over the virus -- meaning treatment for a raft of ailments has stopped.

Civil servant Binta Mohammed said she had to watch her husband die from "diabetic complications" after he was turned away for treatment.

"The four private hospitals we took him to refused to admit him for fear he had the virus," she said.

But there were stories of hope amid the gloom, including two centenarians who survived the virus.

In Spain, 113-year-old Maria Branyas fought off the illness during weeks of isolation at a retirement home where several other residents died from the disease.

And in Russia, 100-year-old Pelageya Poyarkova was discharged from a Moscow hospital after having recovered.

Russian television showed Poyarkova wearing a face mask and clutching a bouquet of red roses as she exited in a wheelchair, surrounded by doctors and journalists.

"She turned out to be a tough old lady," the hospital's acting director Vsevolod Belousov said.

burs-mm/jv

Agence France-Presse

UK winner pockets 190 million euro jackpot

PARIS, France — Someone in Britain became 190 million euros ($208 million) richer on Tuesday when they won the maximum EuroMillions jackpot, the lottery company announced.

It is only the fourth time that the maximum prize has been won since EuroMillions — available in nine European countries including France — fixed its winnings cap in 2012, the French branch FDJ said Tuesday evening.

The lucky player now has to come forward and claim their money.


They will also have to decide whether to go public with their new multi-millionnaire status or remain anonymous.

It took a record-breaking run of 18 rollovers, when nobody wins the top prize, to push the booty up to its maximum amount, and it then went another four draws before finally being won.

Tuesday's massive prize still pales in comparison to the $1.537 billion Mega Millions US lottery jackpot won last year by a lucky punter in South Carolina.

That person chose to remain anonymous.

Apart from France, EuroMillions tickets can be bought in in Austria, Belgium, Britain, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland.

source: philstar.com

UK PM survives confidence vote over Brexit deal

LONDON, United Kingdom — British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday survived a confidence vote by her own MPs but lost the support of one third of her colleagues, signalling the battle she still faces to get her Brexit deal through parliament.

May won the backing of 200 Conservative lawmakers, but 117 voted to oust her -- and only after she conceded she would step down before the 2022 election.

"I'm pleased to have received the backing of my colleagues in tonight's ballot," she said outside her Downing Street office after the result was announced.

"A significant number of colleagues did cast votes against me and I've listened to what they've said."

She said she wanted to "get on with the job of delivering Brexit", and to see "politicians on all sides coming together".

The result, announced after a secret ballot, was met with huge cheers from May's supporters gathered in parliament, while the pound rose on the news.

But leading Brexit rebel Jacob Rees-Mogg, one of at least 48 Tory MPs who triggered the vote by writing a letter of no confidence in May, said it was a "terrible result".

"She ought to go and see the queen and resign urgently," he told the BBC.


Brexit figurehead Nigel Farage tweeted that May "limps on to her next failure, the deal won't pass and the real crisis is close".

Rees-Mogg and other eurosceptics hate the divorce deal May agreed with the EU last month, which they fear risks tying Britain to the bloc for years after Brexit on March 29.

The confidence vote followed her decision on Monday to postpone a planned vote in the House of Commons on the text, because she feared a crushing defeat.

She has promised to hold that vote by January 21 -- when she may yet still lose, plunging the Brexit process into fresh crisis.

Irish warning

May heads to Brussels on Thursday for a pre-planned EU summit, where she will press fellow leaders to give her something to help sell the Brexit deal to sceptical MPs.

Many Conservatives, and the Northern Irish Democratic Unionists (DUP) who prop up the government, fear an arrangement to keep open the Irish border could see Britain trapped in an endless customs union with the EU.

After a whistlestop tour of European capitals on Tuesday, she said on Wednesday she would continue to seek "legal and political assurances" over the temporary nature of the so-called "backstop".

But while EU leaders expressed sympathy for her difficulties, they firmly rejected any attempt to renegotiate a Brexit deal that was only secured last month after 17 months of talks.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday she still "has hope for an orderly exit" but "no intention to change the exit agreement".

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar had a similar message after a call late Wednesday with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

His office said the pair "agreed to work to provide reassurance to the UK (but) the agreement cannot be reopened or contradicted".

'Enough to cling on'

MPs and ministers had rallied round May ahead of the vote, and finance minister Philip Hammond said May's victory would unite the party and "flush out the extremists".

But in a private meeting with MPs before they cast their ballots, she acknowledged the weakness of her position by setting a limit on her own leadership, lawmakers said.

"It is not her intention to lead the party in the 2022 general election," Solicitor General Robert Buckland told the BBC afterwards.

May is now immune to further Conservative confidence votes for a year, but if defeated on her Brexit deal, her government could still face a confidence vote in parliament.

Simon Hix, of the London School of Economics, said Wednesday's result was "enough to cling on, but 117 against her means the Commons arithmetic on Brexit is now even tougher".

Labour's Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said it showed the "Tory civil war... is far from over", adding: "More trouble ahead."

The delays to the Brexit deal have prompted both the EU and Britain to step up preparations for the potentially disastrous scenario where there is no agreement at all.

source: philstar.com

EU court rules Britain can revoke Brexit unilaterally

LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg — Europe's top court ruled Monday that Britain could halt Brexit without the approval of fellow EU member states, in a victory for pro-Europeans on the eve of a key House of Commons vote.

"The United Kingdom is free to revoke unilaterally the notification of its intention to withdraw from the EU," the European Court of Justice said, in response to a suit from a group of Scottish politicians.

"Such a revocation, decided in accordance with its own national constitutional requirements, would have the effect that the United Kingdom remains in the EU under terms that are unchanged as regards its status as a member State," the court ruled.

Following a 2016 referendum, Britain declared its intention to quit the European Union on March 29 last year, triggering the "Article 50" EU treaty procedure that would see it definitively leave two years later, on the same date next year.

British Prime Minister Theresa May's government insists it has no intention of halting the process and has agreed a draft withdrawal agreement with the 27 remaining member states.

The withdrawal agreement is expected to go before the British parliament for approval on Tuesday.

If, as appears likely, it is rejected it would raise fears that Britain could crash out of the union on March 29 without a deal or that it could revoke or postpone Brexit in order to hold another referendum.

The court's ruling will be welcomed by campaigners for a second referendum, but May's government insists it has no intention of reversing course, whatever the court in Luxembourg might say.


"We don't want to stay in the EU. We voted very clearly," Environment Secretary Michael Gove, an influential cabinet Brexiteer, told BBC radio.

"This case is all very well but it doesn't alter either the result of the referendum or the clear intention of the government to leave.

"It's the intent of the government to honour that referendum mandate."

source: philstar.com

British MPs wrangle ahead of momentous Brexit debate

London - UK lawmakers held up a momentous Brexit debate on yesterday, accusing the government of contempt over its handling of the withdrawal agreement, as a top EU legal opinion stated Britain could even call off its departure from the bloc altogether.

Prime Minister Theresa May is facing resistance on all sides of the House of Commons to the withdrawal agreement she struck with the European Union last month.

Its chances of being approved look slim, raising the risk of Britain crashing out of the world's largest single market on March 29 without trade arrangements in place.


The Conservative leader was set to tell MPs in a speech later on yesterday that the deal "delivers for the British people".

"The British people want us to get on with a deal that honours the referendum and allows us to come together again as a country, whichever way we voted," May will say, according to comments released by her Downing Street office.

But her speech is being delayed by a dispute over the government's refusal to publish the full legal advice it has received about the implications of May's plan.

Conservative House leader Andrea Leadsom told MPs that May's government had a right to receive confidential opinions that were unhampered by political considerations.

"What we break now may be very difficult to fix later," Leadsom said.

Opposition Labour Party member Keir Starmer said "the government is wilfully refusing to comply with a binding order of this House and that is contempt".

The row is unlikely to have any impact on the course of Brexit.

But it does highlight how little control May's fragile minority government has over MPs ahead of next yesterday crucial vote.

- 'Brexit shambles' -

Pro-European MPs pressing for a second referendum on staying in the EU received a sudden boost from an opinion issued by a legal adviser to the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

Advocate General Campos Sanchez-Bordona stated that Britain could halt the entire process without the agreement of other EU countries.

"That possibility continues to exist until the withdrawal agreement is formally concluded," he said.

Downing Street reaffirmed on yesterday that May has absolutely no intention of doing so -- and that the ruling was in either case only advisory.

"It does nothing, in any event, to change the clear position of the government that Article 50 is not going to be revoked," May's spokesman said.

But the Scottish National Party's Alyn Smith -- one of several MPs who brought the case -- proclaimed: "We now have a roadmap out of the Brexit shambles."

- Renegotiate Brexit? -

The vote next week has huge implications for Britain's future and that of May herself.

Left-wing Labour said May's defeat next yesterday would likely trigger a confidence vote to bring down her government.

She has also been constantly challenged by hardline eurosceptics in her own party and might face an internal leadership contest as well.

Hardline Conservative Brexiteers say May's compromise deal does not represent enough of a break with Brussels.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) -- the Northern Ireland party propping up May's government -- also objects to special provisions for the province.

Many of May's critics want her to go back and renegotiate.

- Brexit bill -

The EU Withdrawal Agreement covers a settlement of £39 billion (43.7 billion euros, $49.8 billion) that Britain will have to play for leaving.

It also sets out the rights of EU expatriates and plans for a post-Brexit transition period lasting to December 2020.

The extra time is intended to give both sides a chance to strike a new trade and security relationship.

Failure to do so would trigger a "backstop" arrangement that keeps Britain in an EU customs union -- with Northern Ireland also following EU rules on regulation of goods.

May insists this is necessary to avoid border checks in Ireland. Opponents say this risks tying Britain to the EU for years to come.

source: philstar.com

For a prince's wedding, even the greenery has royal roots

WINDSOR, England — Even the foliage in the flower arrangements will have royal roots.

Philippa Craddock, the London florist selected by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to design the blooms for their wedding ceremony, said Wednesday that ferns and branches of silver birch, English oak and beech from Windsor Great Park will be part of the greenery adorning the scenery at nearby St. George's Chapel.

An integral part at that, according to Craddock.

"The base is the foliage, that's where the designs start from, and then the flowers are complementary on top of that, but actually it's very much the foliage and shapes of the branches that will give us the shape of the designs," she told Britain's Press Association.

Windsor Great Park is one of the public open spaces owned by Britain's monarch. Unsurprisingly, its 4,800 acres have quite the pedigree.

William the Conqueror hunted there in the 11th century when the park was a forest. King Charles II was the one who tamed the land in the late 17th century. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, the husband she would forever mourn after his death at Windsor Castle, were devoted park patrons.

Harry's great-grandfather, King George VI, set in place the first of 60 oak trees that were planted in honor of his 1937 coronation. Another row of oaks honors Harry's grandfather, Prince Philip, who holds the title of park ranger. Still another celebrated Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday.

Kensington Palace previously revealed that roses, peonies and foxgloves also will be in the church arrangements at Saturday's wedding. Beyond that, Craddock and the garden keeper at Windsor Great Park, John Anderson, are staying respectfully discreet.

"There are moments where I've focused on it being another commission, so it's like working with any one of our couples, and of course you take a step back and you just realize the enormity of it," Craddock said. "It's a huge occasion and we're just hugely privileged."

source: philstar.com

EU leaders tell Britain to exit swiftly, market rout halts

LONDON/BRUSSELS - European leaders told Britain on Tuesday to act quickly to resolve the political and economic chaos unleashed by its vote to leave the European Union, a move the IMF said could put pressure on global growth.

Financial markets recovered slightly after the result of Thursday's referendum wiped a record $3 trillion off global shares and sterling fell to its lowest level in 31 years, but trading was volatile and policymakers said they would take all necessary measures to protect their economies.

British Finance Minister George Osborne, whose attempt to calm markets had fallen on deaf ears on Monday, said the country would have to cut spending and raise taxes to stabilize the economy after a third credit ratings agency downgraded its debt.

Firms have announced hiring freezes and possible job cuts, despite voters' hopes the economy would thrive outside the EU.

European countries are concerned about the impact of the uncertainty created by Britain's vote to leave on the 27 other EU member states. There is little idea of when, or even if, the country will formally declare it is quitting.

"The process for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union must start as soon as possible," French President Francois Hollande said. "I can't imagine any British government would not respect the choice of its own people."

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker sent a similar message as he prepared for talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron before an EU summit in Brussels, although he did not anticipate an immediate move.

"We cannot be embroiled in lasting uncertainty," Juncker said in a speech to the European Parliament, which he interrupted to ask British members of the assembly who campaigned to leave the EU why they were there.

Cameron, who called the referendum and tendered his resignation when it became clear he had failed to persuade Britain to stay in the EU, says he will leave it to his successor to formally declare the country's exit.

Arriving for the EU summit, he said: "I'll be explaining that Britain will be leaving the European Union but I want that process to be as constructive as possible, and I hope the outcome can be as constructive as possible.

Holding out hope of maintaining good relations with other European countries, he said Britain wanted "the closest possible relationship in terms of trade and cooperation and security. Because that is good for us and that is good for them."

His party says it aims to choose a new leader by early September. But those who campaigned for Britain's leave vote have made clear they hope to negotiate a new deal for the country with the EU before triggering the formal exit process. European leaders have said that is not an option.

"No notification, no negotiation," Juncker said.

No cherry-picking

After Cameron has addressed EU leaders on Tuesday evening, they will meet the next day to discuss Brexit without him.

Leave campaigners in Britain including Boris Johnson, a likely contender to replace Cameron, suggest the country can retain access to the European single market and curb immigration -- but those goals are mutually incompatible under EU rules.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Britain would not be able to "cherry-pick" parts of the EU, such as access to the single market, without accepting principles such as freedom of movement when it negotiates its exit from the bloc.

"I can only advise our British friends not to fool themselves ... in terms of the necessary decisions that need to be made in Britain," she told German parliament in Berlin.

Cameron will meet other European counterparts one-on-one before addressing them all at what promises to be a frosty dinner to discuss what has become known as Brexit.

EU lawmakers say they want him to trigger the exit process at the dinner, but an EU official said that was unrealistic given the political chaos in London, where both Cameron's party and opposition Labour lawmakers are deeply divided.

The ruling Conservative Party is split into pro- and anti-EU camps and Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn was facing a no confidence vote on Tuesday from parliamentarians who accuse him of lukewarm support for the EU.

The European Parliament jeered when Nigel Farage, the leader of Britain's euroskeptic UKIP party, said in a scathing speech that Europe had deceived its population and Britain would be its "best friend" if it agreed to extend a tariff-free trade deal.

But the vote has caused new friction in the EU at a time of crises over a mass influx of refugees, economic weakness and tensions on its borders with Russia.

Poland's foreign minister demanded Juncker and other leaders of the executive European Commission quit for not preserving the Union. The prime minister of Greece, enduring austerity measures in return for aid, said Europe must change direction.

Germany's financial market regulator delivered a double blow to London, saying it could not host the headquarters of a planned European stock exchange giant after Britain leaves the EU, and could not remain a center for trading in euros.

Fitch joined other credit ratings agencies in downgrading its sovereign debt on Monday, and Osborne said Britain faces tax rises and spending cuts.

"We are going to have to show the country and the world that the government can live within its means," Osborne, who campaigned to stay in the EU, told BBC radio.

Mayor seeks more autonomy for London

The 52-48 percent vote to leave has deepened multiple geographical as well as political and social divisions in the United Kingdom.

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, where a majority voted to stay and people fear job losses if the city loses its status as a global financial center, said access to Europe's market was key. "On behalf of all Londoners, I am demanding more autonomy for the capital - right now," he said.

Scotland, where people voted strongly to remain in Europe, is weighing a possible second referendum on leaving the United Kingdom given the vote to leave the EU.

Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon denounced what she called a vacuum of leadership in London and said three months of political drift until a successor to Cameron is in place would further damage Britain's economy. She said she would meet EU leaders on Wednesday to discuss how Scotland could remain.

The impact looked likely to spread far beyond Britain's borders although European shares rose after a heavy sell-off, partly due to hopes of a more co-ordinated central bank response to financial market losses. Sterling also rose and Wall Street opened higher as investors hunted for bargains.

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said central banks around the world should aim to align monetary policies to mitigate "destabilizing spillovers" between economies.

Shares in European banks have come under particular pressure, especially those based in Britain, over doubts about future market access, and Italy, with high levels of bad loans.

Brexit creates huge political uncertainty and will put pressure on global growth, the International Monetary Fund (IMF)'s Deputy Managing Director Zhu Min said on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Tianjin in northern China.

Asian stocks rose and Chinese stocks, protected by capital controls, hit a three-week closing high. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sought to reassure investors by saying the country would not allow "roller-coaster" rides in capital markets.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said England had collapsed "politically, monetarily, constitutionally and economically".

US President Barack Obama told National Public Radio there had been some hysteria "as if somehow NATO's gone, the trans-Atlantic alliance is dissolving, and every country is rushing off to its own corner. That's not what's happening."

In view of the disarray in Britain, some people questioned whether Brexit would happen at all. Nordea bank analysts gave it a likelihood of 70 percent and a senior EU official involved in the process said he thought the country may find a way never to announce its formal departure to the bloc. (Additional reporting by Alastair Macdonald, Paul Taylor, Gabriela Baczynska, Phil Blenkinsop and Jan-Robert Bartunek in Brussels; Sudip Kar-Gupta and Guy Faulconbridge in London and Alistair Scrutton in Stockholm)

source: interaksyon.com

FOCUS | Buyer's remorse as Brexit sinks in

LONDON - As the markets crashed, sterling hit a 31-year low and Prime Minister David Cameron resigned, it dawned on some of those who voted for Britain to leave the EU that they may have got it wrong.

"It's a bit too soon to know what's going to happen but I have the feeling I made a mistake," 32-year-old Pam McVey told AFP as she celebrated London's Gay Pride this weekend.

As the early implications of Thursday's historic referendum became clear, there was a buzz on social media as people shared the regrets of some of the 52 percent of Britons who voted to quit the 28-nation alliance.

"I'm a bit shocked, to be honest. I didn't think that was going to happen," said Adam, a young man interviewed on the BBC in a widely shared clip.

"My vote, I didn't think it was going to matter too much because I thought we were going to remain.

"The David Cameron resignation has blown me away to be honest. I think the period of uncertainty that we're going to have for the next couple of months, that's just been magnified now. So yeah, I'm quite worried."

Few people have had the courage to admit that they were wrong, but the hashtags #regrexit and #BrexitRegret or #Bregret were trending on Twitter -- used mostly to mock those who regretted their choice.

"We're the girl who got drunk & dumped her loving, stable boyfriend because he was a bit boring and now realises she's ruined her life," tweeted Leila Molana-Allen.

'What is the EU?'

Others had regrets that they had not voted in a referendum that will have far-reaching consequences.

"I didn't know we could vote," said Bianca Kostic-London, a 30-year-old Australian who would have been eligible because she is a citizen of the Commonwealth.

She cried when she realized. "I said it was my fault," she said, hand on her chest. "I did feel very bad and disappointed."

Research during the campaign revealed how many Britons were misinformed about the EU, particularly on immigration and economic issues -- the main focuses of the battle for votes in the run-up to the referendum.

It seemed that many did not seek to address this problem until it was too late.

Google Trends revealed that the second top search in Britain on Friday, as the results rolled in, was "What is the EU?"

For some of the regions who voted to leave, the result also prompted an urgent call for reassurance that the government in London would match any EU funds they might lose when Britain finally breaks with the bloc.

The leader of Cornwall council said he was seeking "urgent steps" to ensure the impoverished county in southwest England would be protected.

"We will be insisting that Cornwall receives investment equal to that provided by the EU program which has averaged £60 million ($82 million, 73 million) per year over the last 10 years," said John Pollard.

Similar appeals came from Yorkshire in northern England, and from the first minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, who had advocated a vote to "Remain" but whose countrymen and women chose to leave.

Wales and its three million population has benefited from more than £4 billion since 2000 from EU structural funds.

"Hi I'm Welsh. My community depends on EU funding and I voted out. FUCK #eufuckup" @eufuckup," wrote one social media user on twitter.

Others defended their decision, right or wrong. "I voted leave. if it turns out that it was the wrong decision in the future, I have the right to regret it," wrote one.

source: interaksyon.com

ANALYSIS | Can the EU survive Brexit?

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Britain's vote to become the first country to leave the EU, as projected by national media, is a shattering blow that threatens the survival of the post-war European project, officials and analysts said.

The loss of one of its biggest members will at the very least force major changes on an embattled bloc already struggling to deal with growing populism, a migration crisis and economic woes.

In the long-run, "Brexit" may lead to other countries holding referendums, a far looser union, and possibly even the disintegration of a grouping set up 60 years ago to bring security and prosperity after World War II.

EU President Donald Tusk warned in the run-up to the vote that Brexit could lead to the "destruction of not only the EU but also of Western political civilization."

With Europe facing a resurgent Russia and the threat of terrorism, Tusk said "our enemies ... will open a bottle of champagne if the result of referendum is negative for us."

In a less doom-laden assessment, European Commission Chief Jean-Claude Juncker said last week that the EU was not "in danger of death" from a Brexit but that it would have to learn lessons.

'Very serious blow'

Chris Bickerton, a lecturer at Britain's Cambridge University and author of "The European Union: A Citizen's Guide," said it was a "very serious blow" but not terminal, given the "core role" of the EU in much of European political life.

But he added that it would probably drift towards a "looser, ad hoc" union.

"I don't think it would suddenly disappear but over the longer term, we might see it slowly decline and become something different," he told AFP.

The next steps for the EU would be difficult, he added.

"We are very much in uncharted territory," he said. "I don't think anyone really thought Brexit was really likely, certainly not when they were negotiating with Cameron, otherwise they would have done a very different deal."

In the immediate aftermath of the British vote, seven years of potentially bitter divorce negotiations between Brussels and London loom.

The remaining EU countries will likely be keen to move ahead. France and Germany, the main EU heavyweights, have already been working on a joint plan for the future.

But with Berlin and Paris at loggerheads over future integration of the eurozone, any plan is likely to be a modest affair that deals only with issues such as security and defense.

Even without Britain in the club, the drift away from "ever closer union" and federalism is likely to increase, with growing talk of a "two-speed Europe" that allows states opt-outs from key rules.

One major step could be making membership of the euro non-compulsory, which would help Poland, which appears to have no intention of joining the single currency but is officially meant to.

Domino effect?
The main fear in many European capitals is that either way, the result could trigger a domino effect of referendums in other countries.

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen on Tuesday urged all EU states to follow Britain's example, and eurosxeptics in the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden have made similar calls for referendums.

Vivien Pertusot, Brussels-based analyst with the French Institute of International Relations, said the EU was likely to survive but be weakened.

"Institutions rarely die," he told AFP. "Maybe there will not be disintegration, but a loss of relevance. The EU will lose, bit by bit, its centrality for all the most political projects."

The danger for the EU is that even after it makes changes following the British referendum, it will still not be able to quell the forces of history tearing it apart.

"The EU is in a negative spiral," Janis Emmanouilidis, director of studies at Brussels-based think tank European Policy Centre, told AFP.

The question of what could replace the EU if it does collapse is even more vexed.

"It might sound as if yes, this story has ended, a new one has begun, but that's not easy. Especially after the experience of failure," said Emmanouilidis.

source: interaksyon.com