Indian-origin expert drafts post-Brexit trade plans

London:  A leading Indian-origin trade expert on Wednesday joined hands with a former Brexit minister to launch draft proposals for a future free trade agreement (FTA) between the UK and European Union. Shanker Singham, CEO of free market consultancy Competere and Director of the International Trade and Competition Unit at the London-based Institute of Economic Affairs think tank, claims that unlike other trade pacts which could take many years to negotiate, the UK can conclude an FTA with the EU more quickly. Meanwhile, European Council president Donald Tusk said the EU would make no new offer on Brexit and those who promoted Britain's exit without any understanding of how to deliver it deserve a “special place in hell”. agencies

Vatican clarifies Pope’s remark on nuns’ ‘sexual slavery’ 

Vatican City: The Vatican on Wednesday clarified comments by Pope Francis about a case of what he called “sexual slavery” within a French congregation of nuns, saying he was referring to an abuse of power that was reflected in instances of sexual abuse. Francis cited the case when responding to a question about the sexual abuse of nuns by clergy during a press conference on Tuesday. It was the Pope’s first-ever public acknowledgment of the problem of priests and bishops sexually abusing nuns. Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said, “Francis ‘spoke of sexual slavery’ to mean ‘manipulation’ or a type of abuse of power that is reflected in a sexual abuse.”  AFP