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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 28 February 2023
U.K., EU hail ‘new chapter’ with deal to fix Brexit trade spat

By JILL LAWLESS ereignty for the people of
Associated Press Northern Ireland,” Sunak
LONDON (AP) — The U.K. said.
and the European Union Von der Leyen stressed that
sealed a deal on Monday the EU’s borderless single
to resolve their thorny post- market would be protect-
Brexit trade dispute over ed by safeguards includ-
Northern Ireland, hailing ing “IT access, labels and
the agreement as the start enforcement procedures”
of a “new chapter” in their and said the European
often fractious relationship. Court of Justice would re-
British Prime Minister Rishi main “the sole and ultimate
Sunak and European Com- arbiter of EU law.”
mission President Ursula The role of the European
von der Leyen announced court in resolving any dis-
the grandly titled “Windsor putes that arise over the
Framework” after agreeing rules has been the thorni-
to the final details in Wind- est issue in the talks. The
sor, near London. U.K. and the EU agreed in
Von der Leyen told a news their Brexit divorce deal to
conference it was “historic give the European court
what we have achieved that authority. But the DUP
today.” Sunak said there and Conservative Party eu-
had been a “decisive Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, right, greets European Commission President Ursula von der roskeptics insist the court
breakthrough.” Leyen at the Fairmont Hotel in Windsor, England, Monday Feb. 27, 2023. Associated Press must have no jurisdiction in
The agreement, which will U.K. matters.
allow goods to flow freely rangements are changed the new trade border in the “removed any sense of a The British pound rose
to Northern Ireland from to its satisfaction. Irish Sea undermines North- border in the Irish Sea” by against the dollar after the
the rest of the U.K., ends Sunak is due to make a ern Ireland’s place in the eliminating checks and pa- deal was announced, and
a dispute that has soured statement to the House of United Kingdom. perwork for the vast major- business groups welcomed
U.K.-EU relations, sparked Commons later setting out The Democratic Unionist ity of goods entering North- the agreement. Tony Dank-
the collapse of the Belfast- details of the deal. Party collapsed Northern ern Ireland. Only those des- er, who heads the Confed-
based regional govern- Northern Ireland is the only Ireland’s Protestant-Cath- tined to travel onward to eration of British Industry,
ment and shaken North- part of the U.K. that shares olic power-sharing govern- EU member Ireland will be said it would “allow busi-
ern Ireland’s decades-old a border with an EU mem- ment a year ago in protest checked. nesses and politicians to
peace process. ber, the Republic of Ire- and has refused to return He said Northern Ireland’s turn their attention to eco-
Fixing it ends a long-running land. When the U.K. left until the rules are scrapped lawmakers would be able nomic growth and deliver-
irritant for von der Leyen the bloc in 2020, the two or substantially rewritten. to block any changes to ing greater prosperity.”
and is a big victory for Su- sides agreed to keep the The party’s leader, Jeffrey EU goods laws that applied Sunak will have to face
nak — but not the end of his Irish border free of customs Donaldson, said there had to them by using an emer- down his Conservative
troubles. Selling the deal to posts and other checks be- been “significant progress” gency mechanism labeled critics — including former
his own Conservative Party cause an open border is but “key issues of concern” the “Stormont Brake” after Prime Minister Boris John-
and its Northern Irish allies a key pillar of Northern Ire- remained. He said the par- the home of the Northern son, who as leader at the
may be a tougher struggle. land’s peace process. ty would study the details Ireland Assembly. time signed off on the trade
Now Sunak awaits the judg- Instead, there are checks before responding. “Today’s agreement deliv- rules that he now derides.
ment of Northern Ireland’s on some goods entering The devil, as ever, will be in ers smooth-flowing trade Johnson was ousted by
Democratic Unionist Party, Northern Ireland from the those details, and the two within the whole United the Conservatives last year
which is boycotting the re- rest of the U.K. That an- sides emphasized different Kingdom, protects North- over ethics scandals, but is
gion’s power-sharing gov- gered British unionist politi- elements of the deal. ern Ireland’s place in our widely believed to hope for
ernment until the trade ar- cians in Belfast, who say Sunak said the new rules union and safeguards sov- a comeback.q

China accuses U.S. of ‘bullying’ with new

‘illegal’ sanctions

BEIJING (AP) — China on The sanctions “have no ba- China’s supply of weapons
Monday accused the U.S. sis in international law or au- to Russia, taking the oppor-
of “outright bullying and thorization from the Securi- tunity to sanction Chinese
double standards” in lev- ty Council, and are typical companies for no reason,”
eling what it called “ille- illegal unilateral sanctions she said. “This is outright
gal” sanctions on Chinese and long-arm jurisdiction,” bullying and double stan-
companies as part of U.S. Foreign Ministry spokes- dards.” The Treasury and
actions against Russia’s person Mao Ning said at State departments an-
Wagner Group and related a daily briefing. “While the nounced the moves in co- Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., right, Sen. Richard Blumenthal,
D-Conn., left, speak during a news conference on legislation
companies and individuals. U.S. has intensified its efforts ordinated statements that labeling the Russian Wagner Group as one of the Foreign
The entities were targeted to send weapons to one of targeted dozens of Wag- Terrorist Organizations, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, on Capitol Hill
for their role in the war in the parties to the conflict, ner Group affiliates, includ- in Washington.
Ukraine and mercenary resulting in an endless war, ing some in the Central Associated Press
activities, including human it has frequently spread African Republic and the well as the president of Rus- the original manufacturer
rights abuses, in Africa. false information about United Arab Emirates, as sia’s Kalashnikov Concern, of the AK-47 assault rifle.q