Spaniards vote in general elections on Sunday that were called when Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez lost his parliamentary majority in February. Here is everything you need to know. Read more
Everything You Need to Know About the Election in Spain
Explainer
What to Expect from Snap Elections in Spain
Snap elections are likely in Spain after Catalan pro-independence parties joined the right-wing opposition in voting down Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’ 2019 spending plan.
The Catalans gave Sánchez a majority to oust the People’s Party’s Mariano Rajoy in June. They demanded a legal independence referendum for their support, which Sánchez refused.
Here is how early elections could pan out. Read more
EFTA Is Not an Alternative to Theresa May’s Brexit Deal
The Sun reports that British cabinet secretaries Michael Gove and Amber Rudd — the former a leader of the 2016 campaign to leave the EU, the latter a “remainer” — intend to push for membership of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) with Labour’s support if and when Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal fails in Parliament.
This plan is unlikely to succeed, for two reasons:
- It confuses the withdrawal agreement with the political declaration on the future EU-UK relationship.
- Neither the EU nor the EFTA would accept it as a short-term solution. Read more
Why Spain’s Threat to Hold Up Brexit Over Gibraltar Is Theater
Spain has demanded greater clarity on the status of Gibraltar before signing off on the treaty that is meant to regulate Britain’s exit from the EU in March 2019.
“We want the interpretation to be clear in that text that the negotiations between the United Kingdom and the EU will not apply to Gibraltar,” Josep Borrell, the Spanish foreign minister, said on Monday.
Here is why his demand is a bit of a dud. Read more
Everything You Need to Know About the Brexit Deal
The United Kingdom has reached a provisional agreement with the EU about its withdrawal from the bloc in March 2019.
Here is a summary of what you need to know. Read more
Trump Puts Mueller Critic in Charge of Mueller Probe
American president Donald Trump has replaced his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, with a loyalist, Matt Whitaker, who in the past criticized Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Here is everything you need to know. Read more
Italy’s Budget Standoff with the European Commission Explained
The European Commission has told Italy to revise its budget for 2019, accusing it of “openly and consciously” reneging on the commitments it has made.
This has been reported as the commission “rejecting” Italy’s budget proposal, but that is too strong a term. It has no such power.
Here is what’s really going on — and what is likely to happen next. Read more