May to Re-Establish Desire for Brexit Transition Deal to European Business Chiefs

British Prime Minister Theresa May, Reuters
British Prime Minister Theresa May, Reuters
TT

May to Re-Establish Desire for Brexit Transition Deal to European Business Chiefs

British Prime Minister Theresa May, Reuters
British Prime Minister Theresa May, Reuters

British Prime Minister Theresa May will restate her desire for a two-year Brexit implementation period when she meets European business organizations on Monday, her office said in a statement.

“Mrs May will reiterate the UK’s commitment to securing an implementation period of around two years once Britain leaves the EU in March 2019,” the statement said.

According to Reuters, May has stepped up her engagement with businesses in recent months, regularly meeting with British lobby groups and senior executives.

Monday’s meeting would, for the first time, expand that program to include include representatives from industry groups from Germany, France, Italy, Spain and other member states as well as British and EU-wide organizations.

“(May) will ask the business experts from organizations including the CBI and BusinessEurope to share their input on how the UK and EU can continue to thrive side by side in industry and economic development,” the statement said.

“The Prime Minister will also reiterate her vision set out in Florence for a bold and deep economic partnership with the EU – one in which the UK continues to be a global, free trading nation and the strongest friend and partner to the EU.”

Ministers from the departments of Brexit, business and the finance ministry will also attend.



Thousands Around the World Protest Middle East War

Police officers block Filipino activists from marching towards the US Embassy, during a protest in support of Palestinians, in Manila, Philippines, October 5, 2024. REUTERS/Lisa Marie David
Police officers block Filipino activists from marching towards the US Embassy, during a protest in support of Palestinians, in Manila, Philippines, October 5, 2024. REUTERS/Lisa Marie David
TT

Thousands Around the World Protest Middle East War

Police officers block Filipino activists from marching towards the US Embassy, during a protest in support of Palestinians, in Manila, Philippines, October 5, 2024. REUTERS/Lisa Marie David
Police officers block Filipino activists from marching towards the US Embassy, during a protest in support of Palestinians, in Manila, Philippines, October 5, 2024. REUTERS/Lisa Marie David

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in major cities around the world on Saturday demanding an end to bloodshed in Gaza and the wider Middle East as the start of Israel's war in the Palestinian enclave approaches its first anniversary.

About 40,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through central London while thousands gathered in Paris, Rome, Manila, Cape Town and New York City. Demonstrations were also held near the White House in Washington, protesting US support for its ally Israel in military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon.

Protesters at Times Square in New York City wore the black-and-white keffiyeh scarf and chanted slogans like: "Gaza, Lebanon you will rise, the people are by your side." They held banners demanding an arms embargo against Israel.

In Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, at least 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered on Sunday morning near the US embassy demanding that Washington stop supplying weapons to Israel, Reuters reported.
In London, counter-demonstrators waved Israeli flags as pro-Palestinian marchers walked by. There were 15 arrests on the sidelines of the protests, according to police, who did not specify whether those detained were from either group.
In Rome, police fired tear gas and water cannons after clashes broke out. Around 6,000 protesters defied a ban to march in the city center ahead of the Oct. 7 anniversary of Hamas' attack.
In Berlin, a protest drew about 1,000 demonstrators with Palestinian flags, who chanted: "One Year of Genocide."
German demonstrators also criticized what they called police violence against pro-Palestinian protesters. Israel supporters in Berlin protested against rising antisemitism. Scuffles broke out between police and pro-Palestinian protesters.
In Paris, Lebanese-French protestor Houssam Houssein said: "We fear a regional war, because there are tensions with Iran at the moment, and perhaps with Iraq and Yemen." Houssein added: "We really need to stop the war because it's now become unbearable."
Israel has faced wide international condemnation over its actions in Gaza, and now over its bombarding of Lebanon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his government is acting to prevent a repeat of the Oct. 7 assault by Hamas and Washington says it supports Israel's right to self-defense.
US government agencies warned on Friday that the anniversary of Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks may motivate individuals to engage in violence. Officials in some states, including New York, raised security measures out of caution.
In Manila, activists clashed with anti-riot police after they were blocked from holding a demonstration in front of the US embassy in the Philippine capital against Washington's support for Israel.