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Road to Brexit
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UK government rejects Scotland's bid for second independence referendum
The British government said on Tuesday it would not be entering into negotiations on the Scottish government's proposal to hold a new independence referendum in late 2018 or early 2019.
It was reacting to a vote in the Scottish parliament earlier backing First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's bid for an independence vote.
"It would be unfair to the people of Scotland to ask them to make a crucial decision without the necessary information about our future relationship with Europe, or what an independent Scotland would look like," it added.
Australia defends its handling of French submarine deal
SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia defended its scrapping of a deal for French submarines on Sunday, saying the government had raised concerns to Paris for months, as a new deal with the United States and Britain continued to fuel a multinational diplomatic crisis.