EUROPE

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday announced the appointment of Britain's foreign secretary to become the country's lead negotiator with the European Union, after long-time ally David Frost resigned after a week political upheaval in the Conservative Party.

Liz Truss will have ministerial responsibility with the EU and will lead negotiations to resolve problems arising from provisions of the Brexit agreement covering trade with Northern Ireland, the prime minister's office said in a statement.

In his resignation letter, Mr Frost expressed concern about the government's “current direction of travel.'' “I hope we will move as fast as possible to where we need to get to: a lightly regulated, low tax, entrepreneurial economy, at the cutting edge of modern science and economic change,'' he wrote.

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In the French ski resort of Val d'Isere, staff had been hired, shelves fully stocked and everyone was looking forward to a good season until, that is, France banned British tourists due to fears over the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

The ban was announced on Thursday, just two days before the start of the holiday season.

"It's an economic disaster," said resort director Christophe Lavaut, pointing out that in Val d'Isere, the bulk of the clients come from Britain. "No business in any sector can make it, losing 42% of its clients in two days."

PhotO Credit: AFP

A disgraced ex-bodyguard of French President Emmanuel Macron was detained by police on Tuesday and questioned over a security contract signed by an associate with a Russian oligarch, security sources say. 

Alexandre Benalla, who was fired in 2018 after being filmed assaulting protesters, was detained by specialised anti-corruption police along with his wife as part of an investigation into the business dealings of his former associate, Vincent Crase, the sources told AFP.

Crase, an ex-policeman who once handled security for Macron's political party, told investigators in 2019 that the deal with Russian oligarch Iskander Makhmudov covered security for him and his children in France and Monaco.

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Baltic, central and eastern European states believe the bloc itself is also under assault from Russia on multiple fronts, with Lithuania citing a risk of possible Russian military strikes from Belarus, a close Russian ally.

"Any further military aggression against Ukraine will have massive consequences and severe cost in response, including restrictive measures coordinated with partners," leaders said in their final summit statement, referring to U.S. and UK allies.

The West imposed economic sanctions on Russia in 2014 over its annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine, with measures targeting Russia's energy, banking and defence sectors.

Although no sanctions were debated at the summit, diplomats have said new measures could include targeting Russian oligarchs, banning EU transactions with private Russian banks and possibly cutting all Russian banks from the SWIFT network that is the lifeblood of international money transfers.

Photo Credit: WANE

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Two South Florida men have pleaded guilty in Ohio to leading a nationwide scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $35 million in COVID-19 relief loans.

James Stote, 55, of Hollywood, Florida, and Phillip Augustin, 52, of Coral Springs, Florida, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Akron, Ohio, federal court to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to court records. They each face up to 20 years in prison.

“While many businesses in our communities relied upon relief funds to keep their doors open and employees paid, these defendants profited off a scheme that stole millions of taxpayer dollars intended for struggling businesses and spent it lavishly on themselves,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler for the Northern District of Ohio said in a statement.