INTERNATIONAL

“Yellow vest” protesters have gathered in Paris and other cities for a fifth consecutive Saturday of demonstrations. About 69,000 police have been mobilised across France to prevent a repeat of the violence of previous weeks. The movement, initially against a rise in fuel taxes, now addresses other issues, including education reforms. Protesters defied a government call to suspend the action ...

Nigeria’s military has revoked its earlier decision to suspend activities of the UN children’s agency Unicef in the north-east of the country. The military said this came after “extensive deliberations” during emergency talks with Unicef officials. Earlier on Friday, the army had accused the agency of spying for Islamist militants in the restive region. Millions of people displaced by the ...

Theresa May’s bid to make her Brexit deal more acceptable to MPs have suffered a blow after EU leaders said it was “not open for renegotiation”. She wants legal assurances on the Irish backstop to help her deal get through the UK Parliament, where many of her own MPs say they cannot support it. The PM said the deal was ...

European Union leaders have said the Brexit withdrawal agreement is “not open for renegotiation”, despite appeals from Theresa May. She wanted legal assurances on the Irish backstop to help her deal get through Parliament, after she delayed a Commons vote in anticipation of defeat. The PM said the deal was “at risk” if MPs’ concerns could not be addressed. European ...

Theresa May is holding talks with European leaders and EU officials aimed at rescuing her Brexit deal. She has met Dutch PM Mark Rutte and Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel after postponing a Commons vote on the deal. The UK PM has said she needs assurances about the Northern Ireland border plan to get backing from MPs, many of whom want ...

Theresa May says she has called off Tuesday’s crucial vote on her Brexit deal because it would be “would be rejected by a significant margin”. She said MPs backed much of the deal she has struck with the EU but there was concern over the Northern Irish backstop. But she said she believed she could still get the deal through ...

The European Court of Justice has ruled the UK can cancel Brexit without the permission of the other 27 EU members. The ECJ judges ruled this could be done without altering the terms of Britain’s membership. A group of anti-Brexit politicians argued the UK should be able to unilaterally halt Brexit, but they were opposed by the government and EU. ...

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to meet trade unions and employers’ organisations, in a bid to defuse weeks of unrest in Paris and other cities. Monday’s meeting comes ahead of a TV address in which he is expected to announce measures in response. France has seen four weekends of violent protests against fuel tax rises, living costs and other ...

Police in Paris have fired tear gas on protesters as a fourth weekend of anti-government protests turned violent. Up to 5,000 demonstrators have gathered in the city centre, and at least 272 people have been arrested. Some 8,000 officers and 12 armoured vehicles have been deployed in Paris alone, and nearly 90,000 in the country as a whole. The “yellow ...

The US has established its first diplomatic presence in Somalia for nearly 30 years. The state department said the “historic event” reflected the progress the east African nation had made. Ambassador Donald Yamamoto is heading the embassy in Mogadishu. Previously it had been based in Nairobi, Kenya. The US closed its embassy in Somalia in January 1991 amid fighting between ...