Thai gov't agrees to add Dec. 30 as public holiday

23:21, October 29, 2019

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  UK PM to try for Dec. 12 election

  Britains Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street, on his way to parliament in London, Thursday October 24, 2019. (Photo: AP)LONDON, Oct. 24 (Xinuha) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday said that he would give MPs more time to debate the new Brexit deal he reached with the European Union as long as they agree to a Dec. 12 general election.The prime minister urged the opposition Labor Party to back an election in a vote he plans to hold next week.If Labor agrees to the election, the government will try to get its deal through before Parliament is dissolved for the campaign on Nov. 6, Johnson told local media.The latest move came days after the Brexit legislation was in limbo after MPs rejected Johnsons plan to get it through the House of Commons in three days.

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  UK PM offers Dec 12 poll to break Brexit deadlock

  UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday proposed settling the Brexit crisis through an early election on December 12 that could help Britain finally find a way out of the European Union.British Prime Minister Boris Johnson departs 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 24 October 2019. (Photo: IC)The Conservative leaders offer comes with his party leading opinion surveys and the opposition split over whether to back a snap poll or to seek a new EU membership referendum that could undo the one triggering Brexit in 2016.It also suggests that Johnson has all but given up on his repeated pledge to take Britain out of the EU after nearly 50 years by the twice-delayed October 31 deadline.The government said parliament would have "an opportunity to debate and approve" the election proposal on Monday -- just after Brussels is expected to announce the length of a new delay.But opposition lawmakers have rejected two past early election offers from Johnson and have shown no clear indication of being willing to back one now.Johnson told his political rivals Thursday that he was ready to resume debates on his tough EU divorce terms should parliament take up his offer.He effectively pulled the plan after lawmakers refused Tuesday to rush it through in time for him to meet his "do-or-die" pledge to deliver Brexit on time.Johnson said Thursday that it was now "our duty to end this nightmare and provide the country with a solution."We cannot risk wasting the next three months then this farce being replayed with yet another delay in January 2020," he wrote in a letter to opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn."Parliament cannot continue to hold the country hostage."Labour doubtsLabour has previously refused to back a snap election until the possibility of a chaotic "no-deal" divorce has been firmly ruled out.The partys parliamentary business spokeswoman Valerie Vaz reaffirmed that position in parliament Thursda...

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  Chess move: UK parties suggest Dec. 9 vote in Brexit gambit

  A cloudy sky over the River Thames by Parliament, right, in London, Friday, Oct. 25, 2019. Politicians in Britain and the European Union seem to be looking to each other to break the Brexit deadlock. (Photo: AP)Two British opposition parties on Sunday proposed an even earlier election date than Prime Minister Boris Johnson has offered, trying to force his government to delay a final decision on its European Union divorce deal.Full Coverage:BrexitThe chess move by the Liberal Democrats and Scottish National Party reflects the volatile political landscape now in Britain.The ruling Conservatives desperately want a new election to bolster their numbers in Parliament, but they face resistance from the main opposition Labour Party, which fears the country will be unwittingly tricked into crashing out of the European Union without a deal.The latest election proposal is an effort to force Johnson to delay debate in Parliament on his Brexit withdrawal bill until after any election, depriving him of a possible victory on his trademark issue going into the campaign. It makes Johnson’s government choose between holding an election to improve its position in Parliament and its goal of securing Brexit before that election takes place.“The challenge is absolutely on (the prime minister), because if he is serious about wanting an election and if he’s genuine about having an election before Christmas, then he can back this bill,” Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson told the BBC on Sunday.Looming over the political maneuvering is what Johnson and Parliament are going to do about his Brexit deal and how long an extension EU leaders will give Britain to the current Brexit deadline, which is Thursday. The EU in principle has backed extending the Brexit deadline but officials were meeting again this week to figure out how long it should be.The Liberal Democrats and the SNP plan to introduce legislation on Tuesday that calls for an early national election on Dec. 9, three days ...