EU leaders are set to pave the way for automatic membership for Northern Ireland if it decides to reunify with Ireland in the wake of Brexit.
Dublin is expected to ask the bloc's 27 leaders to endorse the idea when they gather in Brussels on Saturday - without Britain - to adopt the EU's guidelines for exit negotiations, according to multiple reports.
"We expect Ireland to ask on Saturday for a statement to be added to the minutes of the European Council, which states that in case of a unification of the island in accordance with the Good Friday Agreement, the united Ireland would be a member of the EU," an EU Council source told the AFP news agency.
"We do not expect a change of the guidelines themselves, but only a statement to the minutes" of the meeting, they added, on condition of anonymity.
Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has previously asked fellow EU leaders to acknowledge that Northern Ireland would, like East Germany in 1990, automatically become a member in the event of unification with an existing member state.
Irish and EU legal experts have said this is the established position in international law of such territorial changes.
Under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, referenda would have to be held on both sides of the border to approve unification.
Another source told Reuters the statement would "state the obvious, i.e. that also a united Ireland would continue being a member of the EU".
They added: "The EU does of course not take a stance on the possibility of a united Ireland.
"Should this question arise, it would be for the peoples of Ireland and Northern Ireland to decide in accordance with the Good Friday Agreement."
Ahead of the summit, European Council President Donald Tusk has said Britain must honour its outstanding financial commitments to the EU before trade talks can commence.
Mr Tusk said discussions about future relations can only start once "we have achieved sufficient progress" on key exit issues:
:: Britain settling outstanding financial commitments to the EU
:: A deal on the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and Britons living in the EU
:: Action to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic
Mr Tusk said: "In other words, before discussing our future, we must first sort out our past."
Friday, April 28, 2017
Obese woman to move to UAE after 'losing 250kg' in India
An Egyptian woman believed to have been the world's heaviest is to be moved to the UAE after a row over her weight loss at the Indian hospital where she was being treated.
Mumbai's Saifee hospital said Eman Abd El Aty had weight loss surgery and was free to go as she now weighed 172kg (380lbs), down from an estimated 500kg.
But her sister accused doctors of lying and pleaded for her to stay.
She will now go to Burjeel hospital in Abu Dhabi.
A statement released by Ms Abd El Aty's doctors said she would receive "secondary physiotherapy" there as the hospital is "closer to home for Eman and her family".
Saifee hospital added that it was proud of the efforts of its team of doctors, stating that "she came on a chartered cargo plane and goes back as a passenger on a flight in business class".
New facility for '500kg' woman's surgery
Obesity boom 'fuels malnutrition rise'
India 'heaviest baby' weighs 15lb
Fat-shamed policeman thanks 'mean' tweet
Earlier, the hospital had angrily rejected the allegations by Ms Abd El Aty's sister Shaimaa Selim, who released a short video on social media alleging that her sister was still unable to speak or move and had not lost as much weight as the hospital was claiming.
Obesity surgeon Dr Muffi Lakdawala also strongly denied the allegations in a tweet.
Mumbai's Saifee hospital said Eman Abd El Aty had weight loss surgery and was free to go as she now weighed 172kg (380lbs), down from an estimated 500kg.
But her sister accused doctors of lying and pleaded for her to stay.
She will now go to Burjeel hospital in Abu Dhabi.
A statement released by Ms Abd El Aty's doctors said she would receive "secondary physiotherapy" there as the hospital is "closer to home for Eman and her family".
Saifee hospital added that it was proud of the efforts of its team of doctors, stating that "she came on a chartered cargo plane and goes back as a passenger on a flight in business class".
New facility for '500kg' woman's surgery
Obesity boom 'fuels malnutrition rise'
India 'heaviest baby' weighs 15lb
Fat-shamed policeman thanks 'mean' tweet
Earlier, the hospital had angrily rejected the allegations by Ms Abd El Aty's sister Shaimaa Selim, who released a short video on social media alleging that her sister was still unable to speak or move and had not lost as much weight as the hospital was claiming.
Obesity surgeon Dr Muffi Lakdawala also strongly denied the allegations in a tweet.
Ridley Scott: Aliens exist and they will come for us
Film director Ridley Scott has revealed he is convinced that aliens are really out there - and one day they will come for us.
The veteran filmmaker is preparing to release the sixth film in the Alien sci-fi horror series, Alien: Covenant, next month.
He said: "I believe in superior beings. I think it is certainly likely.
"An expert I was talking to at NASA said to me 'have you ever looked in the sky at night? You mean to tell me we are it?' That's ridiculous.
"The experts have now put a number on it having assessed what is out there. They say that there are between 100 and 200 entities that could be having a similar evolution to us right now.
"So when you see a big thing in the sky, run for it. Because they are a lot smarter than we are, and if you are stupid enough to challenge them you will be taken out in three seconds."
The new film - the second prequel which is set before the 1979 original starring Sigourney Weaver, Ian Holm, John Hurt and Yaphet Kotto - is set in 2104 on board a spaceship carrying 2,000 cryogenically frozen colonists to a distant planet.
On their journey, they chance upon an uncharted paradise, but it soon turns into a nightmare.
Scott, 79, said he has never tired of scaring moviegoers.
He said: "When I did the first Alien I had to get a sense of responsibility because the reaction to the kitchen ('chestbuster') scene with John Hurt was beyond anything I expected - and it was not good.
"But the film was very successful because people are perverse.
"Everybody was half underneath the seat watching by the time you get to the kitchen scene. There was a woman underneath the seat with her husband holding her."
The director, however, is not so easily scared.
He said: "Nothing scares me. I have a 9mm (pistol).
"If there is a problem I tend to close down into calm. When you walk in in the morning on a film and 600 people turn and all look at you, that is scary."
Scott, who was knighted in 2003, is about to make a film about the Battle of Britain during World War II.
:: Alien: Covenant opens on 10 May.
The veteran filmmaker is preparing to release the sixth film in the Alien sci-fi horror series, Alien: Covenant, next month.
He said: "I believe in superior beings. I think it is certainly likely.
"An expert I was talking to at NASA said to me 'have you ever looked in the sky at night? You mean to tell me we are it?' That's ridiculous.
"The experts have now put a number on it having assessed what is out there. They say that there are between 100 and 200 entities that could be having a similar evolution to us right now.
"So when you see a big thing in the sky, run for it. Because they are a lot smarter than we are, and if you are stupid enough to challenge them you will be taken out in three seconds."
The new film - the second prequel which is set before the 1979 original starring Sigourney Weaver, Ian Holm, John Hurt and Yaphet Kotto - is set in 2104 on board a spaceship carrying 2,000 cryogenically frozen colonists to a distant planet.
On their journey, they chance upon an uncharted paradise, but it soon turns into a nightmare.
Scott, 79, said he has never tired of scaring moviegoers.
He said: "When I did the first Alien I had to get a sense of responsibility because the reaction to the kitchen ('chestbuster') scene with John Hurt was beyond anything I expected - and it was not good.
"But the film was very successful because people are perverse.
"Everybody was half underneath the seat watching by the time you get to the kitchen scene. There was a woman underneath the seat with her husband holding her."
The director, however, is not so easily scared.
He said: "Nothing scares me. I have a 9mm (pistol).
"If there is a problem I tend to close down into calm. When you walk in in the morning on a film and 600 people turn and all look at you, that is scary."
Scott, who was knighted in 2003, is about to make a film about the Battle of Britain during World War II.
:: Alien: Covenant opens on 10 May.
Trump: Chance of 'major conflict' with N Korea
Donald Trump has said there is a chance of a "major, major conflict" with North Korea.
The US President said he would "love to solve things (the North Korean problem) diplomatically but it's very difficult".
"There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea, absolutely," he added.
Mr Trump was speaking during an Oval Office interview with Reuters ahead of his 100th day in office on Saturday.
:: Senior adviser to Trump gives an insight into his first 100 days
The North Korea nuclear threat is one of the biggest challenges facing the Trump administration, with some experts saying the country could have a nuclear missile capable of reaching the US some time after 2020.
Mr Trump also praised Chinese President Xi Jinping, who he met in Florida earlier this month, for his efforts in deterring North Korea from its nuclear programme.
"I believe he is trying very hard," he told Reuters.
"He certainly doesn't want to see turmoil and death, he doesn't want to see it.
"He is a good man, he is a very good man and I got to know him very well."
:: Hannah Thomas-Peter - Trump is milking the North Korea crisis for all it's worth
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has revealed China has warned North Korea that it will impose its own "sanctions actions" if there is another nuclear test.
Mr Tillerson was speaking to Fox News and his words suggest that China has made its toughest threat yet against its defiant neighbour and ally Pyongyang.
He said that China had asked North Korea not to conduct any more nuclear tests, adding: "In fact, we were told by the Chinese that they informed the regime that if they did conduct further nuclear tests, China would be taking sanctions actions on their own."
The US President said he would "love to solve things (the North Korean problem) diplomatically but it's very difficult".
"There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea, absolutely," he added.
Mr Trump was speaking during an Oval Office interview with Reuters ahead of his 100th day in office on Saturday.
:: Senior adviser to Trump gives an insight into his first 100 days
The North Korea nuclear threat is one of the biggest challenges facing the Trump administration, with some experts saying the country could have a nuclear missile capable of reaching the US some time after 2020.
Mr Trump also praised Chinese President Xi Jinping, who he met in Florida earlier this month, for his efforts in deterring North Korea from its nuclear programme.
"I believe he is trying very hard," he told Reuters.
"He certainly doesn't want to see turmoil and death, he doesn't want to see it.
"He is a good man, he is a very good man and I got to know him very well."
:: Hannah Thomas-Peter - Trump is milking the North Korea crisis for all it's worth
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has revealed China has warned North Korea that it will impose its own "sanctions actions" if there is another nuclear test.
Mr Tillerson was speaking to Fox News and his words suggest that China has made its toughest threat yet against its defiant neighbour and ally Pyongyang.
He said that China had asked North Korea not to conduct any more nuclear tests, adding: "In fact, we were told by the Chinese that they informed the regime that if they did conduct further nuclear tests, China would be taking sanctions actions on their own."
Arkansas executes Kenneth Williams - fourth inmate to die in eight days
Arkansas has executed Kenneth Williams, the fourth inmate it has put to death in eight days.
Williams was executed by lethal injection on Thursday night at the Cummins Unit prison in Varner.
A prison spokesman said three minutes after the injection began, Williams shook for about 10 seconds before being pronounced dead at 11.05pm.
A reporter from Associated Press who witnessed the execution said Williams had been "lurching, convulsing, coughing and jerking".
The 38-year-old was executed for the death of former deputy warden Cecil Boren, 57.
Williams had murdered Mr Boren after escaping from prison in 1999.
Williams was executed by lethal injection on Thursday night at the Cummins Unit prison in Varner.
A prison spokesman said three minutes after the injection began, Williams shook for about 10 seconds before being pronounced dead at 11.05pm.
A reporter from Associated Press who witnessed the execution said Williams had been "lurching, convulsing, coughing and jerking".
The 38-year-old was executed for the death of former deputy warden Cecil Boren, 57.
Williams had murdered Mr Boren after escaping from prison in 1999.
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Alexander Blackman who shot an injured Taliban fighter is released from jail
Alexander Blackman, who had his sentence reduced for shooting dead an injured Taliban fighter, has been released from prison.
The former Royal Marine, who spent more than three years in prison, left Erlestoke Prison, near Devizes, Wiltshire, is the early hours of the morning.
Blackman shot the insurgent, who had been seriously injured in an attack by an Apache helicopter, in the chest at close range with a 9mm pistol in Afghanistan in 2011.
He was originally convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 10 years, but this was quashed last month by the Court Martial Appeal Court and replaced with diminished responsibility manslaughter.
The judges ruled that Blackman was suffering from an "abnormality of mental functioning" at the time of the shooting, when he was serving in Afghanistan with Plymouth-based 42 Commando.
The Court Martial Appeal Court found the killing was not a "cold-blooded execution" as the court martial concluded but the result of mental illness, an "adjustment disorder".
The judges described Blackman as "an exemplary soldier" before his deployment to Afghanistan in March 2011 but said he had suffered from "exceptional stressors" during that tour.
They found his ability to "form a rational judgment" was "substantially impaired".
Blackman's sentence was reduced to seven years which meant he was likely to be freed within weeks.
The decision was described by his wife Claire Blackman as "the moment that we have all been fighting hard for".
During the original trial in 2013, Blackman was known only as Marine A.
His identity was made public after his conviction.
The former Royal Marine, who spent more than three years in prison, left Erlestoke Prison, near Devizes, Wiltshire, is the early hours of the morning.
Blackman shot the insurgent, who had been seriously injured in an attack by an Apache helicopter, in the chest at close range with a 9mm pistol in Afghanistan in 2011.
He was originally convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 10 years, but this was quashed last month by the Court Martial Appeal Court and replaced with diminished responsibility manslaughter.
The judges ruled that Blackman was suffering from an "abnormality of mental functioning" at the time of the shooting, when he was serving in Afghanistan with Plymouth-based 42 Commando.
The Court Martial Appeal Court found the killing was not a "cold-blooded execution" as the court martial concluded but the result of mental illness, an "adjustment disorder".
The judges described Blackman as "an exemplary soldier" before his deployment to Afghanistan in March 2011 but said he had suffered from "exceptional stressors" during that tour.
They found his ability to "form a rational judgment" was "substantially impaired".
Blackman's sentence was reduced to seven years which meant he was likely to be freed within weeks.
The decision was described by his wife Claire Blackman as "the moment that we have all been fighting hard for".
During the original trial in 2013, Blackman was known only as Marine A.
His identity was made public after his conviction.
Westminster terror alert: Man arrested just 100m from Downing Street
Armed officers have arrested a man in connection with preparing a terror attack just yards from Downing Street.
Police say the 27-year-old was carrying a rucksack containing several knives, which are being examined by forensic officers.
The suspect was known to police prior to his arrest, according to Sky sources.
Roads were locked down as officers carried out the arrest - pushing the man to the ground before holding him at the scene.
No one was injured in the incident, and Whitehall has since reopened northbound.
The Metropolitan Police said the man was stopped at 2.22pm as part of an ongoing operation. He has been taken to a south London police station where he is being held under the Terrorism Act.
The arrest took place at the Parliament Street junction with Parliament Square, close to the scene of last month's terror attack which killed five people, including police officer Keith Palmer, on 22 March.
Police say the 27-year-old was carrying a rucksack containing several knives, which are being examined by forensic officers.
The suspect was known to police prior to his arrest, according to Sky sources.
Roads were locked down as officers carried out the arrest - pushing the man to the ground before holding him at the scene.
No one was injured in the incident, and Whitehall has since reopened northbound.
The Metropolitan Police said the man was stopped at 2.22pm as part of an ongoing operation. He has been taken to a south London police station where he is being held under the Terrorism Act.
The arrest took place at the Parliament Street junction with Parliament Square, close to the scene of last month's terror attack which killed five people, including police officer Keith Palmer, on 22 March.
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