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A8 WORLD NEWS
Friday 5 OctOber 2018

EU chief says British EU-Soviet comparison unwise, insulting

By RAF CASERT about prisons and gulags,
Associated Press borders and walls, vio-
BRUSSELS (AP) — After the lence against citizens and
insults, the ultimatums, the neighbors. The EU is about
red lines and accusations, freedom and human rights,
the European Union and prosperity and peace. Life
the U.K. have less than two without fear," Tusk said,
weeks to really get down to adding "I know what I am
business ahead of a crucial talking about."
summit on their divorce. As the EU and Britain head
And — just maybe — there into the negotiating finale,
is still time and willingness to both sides have stuck to
stave off the "hard" Brexit their seemingly irreconcil-
— where Britain leaves the able views.
bloc without an agreement After its departure from the
in place on March 29, 2019 bloc in March, Britain would
— that everyone fears. like to remain part of the
"We should get down to European Council President Donald Tusk, left, and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar arrive before EU's seamless single market
business," EU Council Presi- their meeting at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. for goods but erect barriers
dent Donald Tusk said Thurs- Associated Press for labor, capital and ser-
day, realizing that a spe- vices. Tusk and the 27 other
cial Oct. 17 summit where nastiness of the past days, After months of unfruitful Tusk, who as a Pole has EU nations say they remain
major progress needs to when British Foreign Secre- negotiations and increas- lived much of his life under indivisible.
be made to avoid the cliff- tary Jeremy Hunt said the ingly testy encounters it Soviet influence, was not "No one can expect that,
edge divorce is drawing EU shouldn't try to prevent had come to this — Britain's amused. He said the Soviet because of Brexit, the EU
precipitously close. a smooth Brexit because "it top diplomat comparing jibe was "as unwise as it is will give up its fundamental
Tusk spoke Thursday after was the Soviet Union that the EU to the dreaded So- insulting." values and key interests,"
taking one last swipe at the stopped people leaving." viets. "The Soviet Union was he said.q

Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and UAE pledge $10B for Bahrain

By JON GAMBRELL on a $750 million Islamic come in part through bud- $10 billion in aid pledges ter oil prices crashed to $30
Associated Press bond repayment due on get cuts, voluntary retire- during its 2011 Arab Spring a barrel in January 2016.
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- Nov. 22. The International ment of government em- protests from members Benchmark Brent crude
ates (AP) — Bahrain said Monetary Fund in late May ployees and "streamlining of the Gulf Cooperation since has rebounded to
Thursday that Kuwait, Sau- warned that Bahrain's pub- the distribution of cash sub- Council, a six-nation bloc near $85 a barrel, but Bah-
di Arabia and the United lic debt now represents 89 sidies," the kingdom said. of Gulf Arab states. Other rain's neighbors similarly felt
Arab Emirates pledged percent of its gross domes- "Today's announcement aid has flowed into Bahrain the pinch and remain cau-
$10 billion to support the tic product, while reserves demonstrates our commit- from Saudi Arabia, which tious. While Bahrain pegs its
island kingdom, helping it are low. ment to putting the gov- wants to shore up support dinar against the U.S. dol-
avoid defaulting on loans As part of the bailout, Bah- ernment's finances on a of the island's Sunni mon- lar, it recently has taken a
as it tries to restructure its rain pledged in a statement solid and sustainable foot- archy as it continues a beating in trading. The cost
finances. Thursday night to eliminate ing," Bahrain's deputy prime yearslong crackdown on of insuring Bahrain's debt
Bahrain, though the first the country's debt by 2022, minister, Sheikh Khalid bin dissent among its majority against default for five
Arab nation in the Persian aiming to restructure its fi- Abdulla Al Khalifa, said in a Shiite population. years has risen to the high-
Gulf to strike oil, had faced nances to save $2.1 billion statement. However, that largess from est levels since records be-
the specter of defaulting annually. Those savings will Bahrain previously received its neighbors dwindled af- gan in 2008.q