Scotland Powerless to Veto UK’s Possible Secession From EU: Expert

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Mark Hirst – Scotland has no right under existing constitutional law to veto a UK referendum on the country's secession from the European Union planned for 2017, Nick Barber, Associate Professor in Law at Trinity College, Oxford told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.


"As a matter of existing constitutional law the position is clear; it is the UK Parliament that would decide whether we should leave the EU," Barber said.
Barber, who represents the United Kingdom Constitutional Law Association, added that Scotland's constitutional "right to leave the Union" did not extend to a right to veto other constitutional issues related to the whole of the UK.

Brazil Aims for Stronger Economic Cooperation With BRICS Partners, EU: Finance Ministry

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Brazil wants to diversify its trading beyond traditional partners in Latin America, and to further cooperate with its partners from BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) countries and Europe, Marden Barboza, Deputy Secretary of International Issues at Brazil's Finance Ministry said Wednesday.

"Brazilian government feels that it needs to start developing other directions, including economic and trade spheres," Barboza said during the video conference Moscow-Brasilia held at the Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency.

"We are currently in talks with the European Union with regards to signing free trade agreement," Barboza said.

UN Secretary General Calls to Cancel Planned Elections in Eastern Ukraine

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– UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday called for the cancellation of planned elections in southeastern Ukraine, his press service said.
"The Secretary-General deplores the planned holding by armed rebel groups in eastern Ukraine of their own 'elections' on 2 November, in breach of the constitution and national law," the statement said.
"These 'elections' will seriously undermine the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum, which need to be urgently implemented in full," the statement added.