Brexit deal cannot be changed: Barnier
AFP, London
EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said Saturday the bloc will not change the divorce deal agreed with Britain and that he is “not optimistic” of avoiding a no-deal outcome.
Barnier said the most contentious element of the agreement, the so-called backstop mechanism aimed at keeping the Northern Irish border open in all circumstances, must remain.
Erdogan vows Syria operation if US falls short in safe zone
AP, Istanbul
Turkey’s president threatened Saturday to launch a unilateral offensive into northeastern Syria if plans to establish a so-called safe zone along Turkey’s border fail to meet his expectations, including a demand that Turkish soldiers control the corridor.
Speaking to graduates of a military academy in Istanbul, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the U.S. had up to three weeks to satisfy Turkish demands.
EU court to hear case on jailing MPs over air pollution
AFP, Frankfurt
The European Court of Justice will this week examine whether German judges can impose prison sentences on politicians for failing to enforce inner-city bans on polluting vehicles.
In a case starting Tuesday, the court will advise in a long-standing dispute between environmental activists and the state government of Bavaria, just one battle in a furious national debate over diesel and driving bans.
Israel PM vows to annex West Bank settlements
AP, Jerusalem
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reaffirming his pledge to impose Israeli sovereignty on West Bank settlements.
Speaking Sunday at a ceremony opening the new school year in the settlement of Elkana, Netanyahu says there “will be no more displacements” and all the communities will be “part of the state of Israel.”
Belgian terrorist suspected of beheading 100 people captured in Syria
AFP, Brussels
An ISIS terrorist suspected of beheading more than 100 people in Raqa and with possible links to the Paris and Brussels attacks has been captured in Syria, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said Saturday. Anouar Haddouchi, who is of Belgian origin, was captured in the eastern Deir Ezzor region, around 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the Iraqi border, SDF spokesman Mustefa Bali said on Twitter.
Journalist shot dead in Honduras
AFP, Tegucigalpa
A journalist was shot dead in northwest Honduras Saturday, the 79th killed since 2001 in the Central American country, according to a human rights group. Edgar Joel Aguilar, a correspondent for HCH TV was shot dead in the city of Copan around 200 kilometers northwest of the capital Tegucigalpa, the Honduras National Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement.
