EU considers year-long Brexit delay

European Union leaders are set on Wednesday to discuss plans to offer the UK a long delay to Brexit and prevent it from crashing out of the bloc without a deal this week.

British Prime Minister Theresa May wants to postpone the country's departure date until June 30, after failing to get her exit plan through parliament.

Arriving in Brussels Mrs May said she would be "clear" she was only after a short extension.

"I want us to be able to leave the European Union in a smooth and orderly way as soon as possible and that's what I am going to be working for," she said

EU leaders are unlikely to agree to such a short delay as there few signs that Mrs May can build a consensus in parliament, despite holding discussions with the opposition.

"The UK is in a difficult position - they have got themselves into a fix. They do not want to leave without a deal. We need to show them some flexibility and give them a bit of time," said Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.

Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, said there was little reason to believe a deal would be agreed by the end of June.

He has advocated a delay of up to a year, an extension that could be cut short if Britain reaches an agreement.

“Given the risks posed by a no-deal Brexit for people and businesses on both sides of the English Channel, I trust we will continue to do our utmost to avoid this scenario,” he said in a letter to EU leaders.

Any delay beyond June 30 would require the UK to hold elections to the European parliament, a move Mrs May has tried to avoid.

The UK’s Brexit Secretary, Stephen Barclay, said the country wanted to leave as early as possible. “I don't want to see a delay of up to a year,” he told the BBC.

France demands strict limits on Brexit delay

UK Parliament approves law to stop no-deal Brexit on April 12

The other 27 EU nations have to agree to delay Brexit, or the UK will leave the bloc on Friday without a deal. France has expressed concerns that a new hardline leader would replace Mrs May and try to disrupt EU decision-making, if there was a long delay.

Leaving the bloc without an agreement in place would likely lead to major trade, travel and transport problems. The International Monetary Fund said such a move would have a substantial effect on the UK economy.

But a long delay is likely to further frustrate Brexit supporters, who fear that delaying the UK's departure could allow the EU to scupper the whole project.

Britain planned to leave the EU on March 29 originally, but parliament remains split on the manner of the departure and how future relations with the bloc should develop.

Mrs May held talks with French president Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday in an attempt to rally support.

The party that supports Mrs May’s minority government in Westminster opposed her deal and said the prime minister's diplomatic efforts were humiliating for Britain.

Nigel Dodds, the leader of the Democratic Unionists in Westminster, said the UK was “effectively holding out a begging bowl to European leaders”.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Results:

Men's 100m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 15 sec; 2. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 15.40; 3. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 15.75. Men's 400m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 50.56; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 50.94; 3. Henry Manni (FIN) 52.24.

How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars

Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.

Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.

After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.

Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.

It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.

While you're here

Nasser bin Nasser: Is US-China conflict in West Asia inevitable?

Sholto Byrnes: Time for an uninhibited China to lead Asia

Damien McElroy: BRI has changed the rules of the game

If you go...

Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.

Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50

The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
not be younger than 25 years old
not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially

RESULTS

5pm: Rated Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: AF Mouthirah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)

5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AF Alajaj, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Hawafez, Connor Beasley, Abubakar Daud

6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Tair, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel

7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Wakeel W’Rsan, Richard Mullen, Jaci Wickham

7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m
Winner: Son Of Normandy, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2015%20PRO%20MAX

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SQUADS

South Africa:
JP Duminy (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, Robbie Frylinck, Beuran Hendricks, David Miller, Mangaliso Mosehle (wkt), Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi

Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed

Fixtures
Oct 26: Bloemfontein
Oct 29: Potchefstroom