The Defender

Japan's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, says Britain would be welcomed into the trans-pacific partnership trade deal with "open arms" after it leaves the EU. Japan's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe While the UK would lose its role as a gateway to Europe after Brexit, it would retain its "global strength"  He also urged the UK and EU to use "wisdom" to avoid a no-deal scenario. The partnership is a trade agreement among 11 countries, including Japan, Canada, Australia and Malaysia.  Abe's comments are likely to be welcomed by Brexit supporters, who argue that Britain would be able to strike trade deals more easily outside the EU. The UK is due to leave the EU on March 29, 2019. The UK would only be able to join the bloc if it leaves the EU customs union and was able to set its own tariffs.

A second woman has come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against President Donald Trump's US Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh.                                                                                                                                    Brett Kavanaugh  Deborah Ramirez, a Yale university classmate of the judge, told the New Yorker that Mr Kavanaugh had exposed his genitals at a dormitory party. The judge has denied both allegations, labelling the latest "a smear". The make-up of the nine-judge Supreme Court is crucial, as it has the final say on often highly contentious laws. Before Mr Kavanaugh can ...

Six people were killed and dozens are missing after a landslide unleashed by monsoon rains struck in the central Philippines Thursday, inflicting more misery on the already storm-battered nation. The new tragedy comes just days after 2018’s most powerful storm, Typhoon Mangkhut, pounded the nation’s north with heavy winds and rain, sparking a separate landslide that left dozens dead. Emergency workers in helmets and locals with shovels rushed to search for survivors of the new disaster, which happened in the village of Tina-an on the popular tourist island of Cebu. Days of heavy monsoon rains caused a steep slope of crumbly limestone to collapse and crash into at least 10 homes early Thursday when many people would still have been in bed. Injured survivors were wheeled into the back of ambulances and the dead were laid on pews at a local church. “There are 64 missing. Six are confirmed dead. Nine were injured… these are minor injuries,” civil defence spokesman Julius Re...

Leaders of European countries have warned time is running out for a Brexit deal ahead of more talks in Salzburg.                                                                     Theresa May There is still no agreement on issues including how to avoid new checks on the Northern Irish border. At the EU summit on Wednesday evening Mrs May stressed her "serious" proposals for future co-operation would ensure a "shared closed relationship". European Commission chief,  Jean-Claude Juncker described her 10-minute presentation as "interesting". "It was polite, it was not aggressive, she was doing her job," he told reporters as he arrived for a second day of talks. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, two of the EU leaders said they hoped the UK would hold another referendum on Brexit, in the hope o...