Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says the crisis caused by the British decision to leave the European Union was predictable because the EU has disregarded core principles of democracy for too long. Tsipras said coming into the EU summit Tuesday that "Europe has reached a predictable crisis because of the democratic deficit, because of the absence of social cohesion and solidarity." In a direct attack on EU policies, he said there was a need "to replace austerity with growth, to replace division with convergence, to replace unemployment with decent jobs and endless negotiations behind closed doors with transparency and democracy." On Tuesday a group of white British men wearing shirts calling for the "repatriation" of immigrants started shouting at a Turkish family a few blocks away from Parliament and Big Ben. In Manchester city center, there was a confrontation on a tram when three white teenagers started shouting vulgar abuse at a man and, according to an eyewitness, telling him to be deported. The 43-year-old leader of the Grand Duchy was looking for clarity following last week's British referendum to leave the bloc and wanted talks to be clear-cut and start as soon as possible. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says there can't be three months of drift until a new leader is chosen for United Kingdom after the prime minister announced his resignation following the country's referendum vote to leave the European Union. British Prime Minister David Cameron says he hopes talks on Britain leaving the EU can be as constructive as possible and insists the British people "mustn't turn our backs on Europe." NATO's chief plans to attend a European Union summit to discuss the security implications of Britain's vote to leave the EU and how the two organizations should respond. British voters' decision last Thursday to quit the EU confronts the bloc with a major internal rift at the same time it faces numerous challenges from outside, including a migrant crisis, a resurgent Russia and violent extremist groups like Islamic State. The U.N. human rights chief is urging British authorities to stop "xenophobic attacks" that have surged in number following Britain's decision to leave the European Union. The rights chief urged British authorities to prosecute those behind the attacks, saying racism and xenophobia are "completely, totally and utterly unacceptable in any circumstances." Sweden's immigration agency says they have seen six times more British nationals applying for Sweden citizenship than normal, saying it is too early to say whether that is a trend. Annette Grafen Silander, a spokeswoman for Migrationsverket, says the government agency has seen "a record" 129 applications since Thursday's vote in Britain on leaving the 28-nation European Union. Silander didn't speculate as to what may have caused the increase, but Gavin Maycroft, a Briton who has lived in Sweden for nine years, told Swedish radio "the obvious reason is that I want to stay within the EU and I want to make sure that I securely keep myself within it." EU President Donald Tusk says holding off on a meeting of EU leaders on the bloc's future until September will avoid rushing into reform after the British decided to leave in a referendum vote. Nigel Farage, the leader of the anti-Europe U.K. Independence Party, says that the British now offer a beacon of hope to the rest of the European continent after they voted to leave the European Union last week. Diane Abbott, the party's spokeswoman on health issues, says a leadership contest is now inevitable to oust Corbyn, who offered lackluster support for Britain staying in the 28 nation bloc. Some 40 members of Corbyn's inner circle have resigned, accusing Corbyn of lacking the ability to lead the party. British treasury chief George Osborne says tax rises and spending cuts are inevitable now that the country has voted to leave the Europe Union. Osborne says his stark predictions about the impact on the public finances "have started to be borne out by events" such as a tumbling pound and spiraling markets. The Dutch presidency of the European Union is mounting pressure on Britain to make haste with its withdrawal from the bloc after last week's referendum. Khan wants the devolution of fiscal responsibility including tax-raising powers, as well as more control over business and skills, housing and planning, transport, health, policing and criminal justice. German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she will use "all her strength" to prevent the European Union from drifting apart in the wake of Britain's decision to leave the trade bloc. The EU Commission chief says he is banning any informal and secretive negotiations on a British exit until the nation formally notifies it wants to leave the European Union in the wake of last week's referendum vote. The Dutch presidency of the European Union is mounting pressure on Britain to make haste with its withdrawal from the bloc after last week's referendum. Calling the vote a "seminal event" that "will lead to a less predictable, stable and effective policy framework" Standard & Poor's knocked the U.K.'s sovereign rating by two notches on Monday, from AAA to AA.
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