European leaders warned Britain Wednesday that a decision to leave the EU was irreversible, as the rival camps made a last-ditch push for votes on the eve of a too-close-to-call referendum that has set the continent on edge.
Just hours before polling booths open, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker and France's president stepped in to warn there would be no turning back if voters endorsed a Brexit on Thursday.
"Out is out," Juncker told reporters in Brussels, dismissing any talk of renegotiation after a "Leave" vote, while Francois Hollande stressed an exit would be "irreversible".
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was more measured, saying she wanted Britain to stay but that the decision was down to Britons.
Opinion polls indicate a tiny lead for the "Remain" camp led by Prime Minister David Cameron, four months after he announced the date for the vote, but the result is on a knife-edge.
Britain would be the first country to leave the EU in the bloc's 60-year history, dealing a hammer blow to a union already battling with an unprecedented migrant crisis.
Better together
The prime minister, who faces calls to resign if he loses, spent the final day of campaigning criss-crossing Britain on a battle bus and doing interviews.
"If I had to sum up this whole campaign in a word, it would be that word 'together'," Cameron told BBC radio.
Out on the campaign trail, he said: "If we want a bigger economy and more jobs, we are better if we do it together".
"We're better able to fight challenges from terrorism and climate change, we're better able to drive good trade deals with China and America."
Bosses from nearly 1,300 of Britain's leading businesses signed a letter in The Times saying the country was stronger in the EU, while James Bond star Daniel Craig and Irish rock band U2 became the latest celebrities to back "Remain".
Bookmaker Betfair said their latest odds implied a 76 percent chance of "Remain" winning.
Some 51 percent of voters back "Remain" versus 49 percent for "Leave" among those who have decided, according to an average of polls compiled by What UK Thinks.
'Country is a mess'
Cameron's main rival in the "Leave" campaign and possible successor, Boris Johnson, said Britain stood on the brink of "independence day" from Europe.
"I do think that we are on the verge, possibly, of an extraordinary event in the history of our country and indeed in the whole of Europe," Johnson said in eastern England.
Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-EU UK Independence Party, said: "I genuinely belive we are going to win this."
A British withdrawal would trigger a lengthy exit negotiation, leading to the loss of unfettered access to its partners in the 28-nation market and forcing the country to strike its own trade accords across the world.
In Europe, the referendum has raised concerns of a domino effect of exit votes that would imperil the integrity of the bloc, already buffeted by the eurozone and migration crises.
Though many voters fret over the financial consequences of a Brexit, others relish the prospect of taking back power from Brussels and reining in high levels of immigration.
"I think we need to make our contribution to Europe and to the global economy. And the best way we can do that is by being in it, not by ignoring it," Chet Patel, a 44-year-old telecoms worker told AFP.
Pat Hand, a 50-year-old construction worker, said he would be voting to leave the EU.
"The country is in an absolute mess. I work in construction and every single person on my job is not English," he said.
Questions about how soon Turkey could join the EU, opening the door for hundreds of thousands of new migrants to Britain, have been central to the "Leave" campaign.
Sources told AFP that the EU planned new membership talks with Turkey in a few days to open a new chapter on finance and budget affairs.
Turkey has so far completed only one of 35 chapters needed to join the bloc.
Marking slain MP's birthday
The "Leave" campaign briefly took a slight lead in many opinion polls until last week, sending sterling plummeting.
This fell away after campaigning was paused for two days following Thursday's killing of pro-EU lawmaker Jo Cox of the main opposition Labour party.
Wednesday would have been her 42nd birthday and a series of commemorative events were being held in Britain and around the world.
Cox's widower Brendan said his wife, who was particularly noted for her work on refugee rights, had been killed because of her political views.
"She worried about the tone of the debate... The tone of whipping up fears and whipping up hatred potentially," he told the BBC Tuesday.
In his first court appearance on Saturday, her alleged killer, Thomas Mair, gave his name as "Death to traitors, freedom for Britain".
AFP
Wed Jun 22 2016
European leaders warned Britain Wednesday that a decision to leave the EU was irreversible.
Systema lancar kempen #GumHealthFirst, tingkat kesedaran penjagaan gusi
Systema, pakar perlindungan gusi terkenal dari Jepun komited dalam menangani penyakit gusi yang kini berleluasa di Malaysia menerusi kempen #GumHealthFirst dan memperkenal teknologi berus gigi baharu.
Zii Jia iringi empat wakil negara ke Olimpik Paris 2024
Dua pemain perseorangan dan tiga beregu badminton negara secara rasmi disahkan slot penampilan ke Sukan Olimpik Paris 2024.
Ratusan ibu di Mexico berhimpun, tuntut kehilangan anak
Ratusan wanita Mexico yang mencari anak mereka yang hilang berhimpun di Mexico City pada Jumaat.
Protes sempena Hari Ibu itu dilakukan bagi memberi tekanan kepada pihak berkuasa supaya melakukan lebih banyak lagi untuk mencari orang tersayang mereka.
Protes sempena Hari Ibu itu dilakukan bagi memberi tekanan kepada pihak berkuasa supaya melakukan lebih banyak lagi untuk mencari orang tersayang mereka.
Pendengaran kes Jacob Zuma bermula Jumaat
Mahkamah tertinggi Afrika Selatan memulakan proses mendengar hujah undang-undang pada Jumaat sama ada bekas presiden Jacob Zuma boleh bertanding bagi kerusi parlimen.
Keputusan kes tersebut akan menjejaskan pilihan raya di seluruh negara itu pada 29 mei dan boleh membawa kepada masalah keselamatan jika beliau kalah.
Keputusan kes tersebut akan menjejaskan pilihan raya di seluruh negara itu pada 29 mei dan boleh membawa kepada masalah keselamatan jika beliau kalah.
KKB Memilih: Tetap bersemangat walaupun berkerusi roda, bertongkat
Biarpun berdepan kekangan dari segi fizikal, tetapi warga emas berusia 75 tahun ini menjadi pengundi pertama yang selesai menjalankan tanggungjawab bagi Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Kuala Kubu Baharu.
Penyokong Palestin dan Israel bertembung di California
Lawatan Presiden A.S. Joe Biden ke Palo Alto, California, pada Jumaat menyaksikan pertembungan penunjuk perasaan pro-Palestin dan pro-Israel.
Penyokong Palestin menyeru Presiden untuk menyokong gencatan senjata serta menyalahkan beliau atas kehilangan lebih 40,000 nyawa orang awam.
Penyokong Palestin menyeru Presiden untuk menyokong gencatan senjata serta menyalahkan beliau atas kehilangan lebih 40,000 nyawa orang awam.
KKB Memilih: Sasar 60 peratus keluar mengundi, keputusan seawal 9 malam
Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) menjangkakan keputusan rasmi bagi Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Kuala Kubu Baharu akan diumumkan seawal jam 9 malam.
KKB Memilih: Undi pengundi India cukup signifikan - Penganalisis
Pengundi India memainkan peranan yang cukup signifikan dalam pilihanraya kecil Kuala Kubu Baharu.
Menurut penganalisis politik Universiti Malaya, Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub, meskipun jumlah pengundi India tidak melebihi 20 peratus, suara mereka tetap akan menjadi penentu kepada keputusan dalam PRK tersebut.
Menurut penganalisis politik Universiti Malaya, Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub, meskipun jumlah pengundi India tidak melebihi 20 peratus, suara mereka tetap akan menjadi penentu kepada keputusan dalam PRK tersebut.
Memukau! Magis Aina Abdul bawa penonton ke alam fantasi
Bukan sahaja terpukau dengan kelunakan dan kekuatan Aina malah iringan muzik daripada Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) membuatkan penonton seolah-olah dibawa ke alam fantasi penuh magis.
PRK KKB: 32.51 peratus sudah mengundi setakat 12 tengah hari - SPR
SPR menyasarkan peratusan keluar mengundi PRK itu sekitar 60 peratus.
Tidak realistik untuk runding semula protokol - Suruhanjaya Eropah
Badan eksekutif Kesatuan Eropah itu akan melancarkan prosedur pelanggaran bagi melindungi pasaran tunggal blok itu daripada risiko pencabulan protokol.
Pasca-Brexit: Kekurangan bekalan makanan dibimbangi di UK
Bermula 1 Jan, pengimport mesti membuat pengisytiharan kastam penuh mengenai barangan yang dibawa masuk ke UK dari EU atau negara lain.
Pemuda UMNO cadang pembentukan Kabinet Perang
Perdana Menteri boleh meletakkan jawatan atau menasihati Yang di-Pertuan Agong untuk membubarkan Parlimen jika tidak lagi mendapat majoriti.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah antara yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Pasca-Brexit: Kesatuan Eropah tidak akan runding semula perjanjian asal
Kerajaan UK sebelum ini menyatakan, pemeriksaan sempadan yang dikenakan terhadap barangan dari Ireland Utara terbukti tidak dapat dilaksanakan.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah antara yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Hubungan dengan EU: UK minta runding semula babitkan peraturan dagang
Protokol itu perlu ditulis semula kerana ia melemahkan proses perdamaian dan mempengaruhi kehidupan rakyat di Ireland Utara.
Pasca-Brexit: Parlimen Eropah akan sahkan perjanjian perdagangan
Rancangan asal EU bertujuan mengelak pembukaan sempadan antara Ireland dengan Ireland Utara menjadi pintu belakang bagi bekalan vaksin.
Nelayan Britain berdepan risiko hilang pendapatan susulan larangan eksport EU
Larangan itu dibuat selepas Britain meninggalkan EU pada 1 Januari lalu, yang mana hasil laut yang berkenaan perlu dibersihkan sebelum digunakan dan tidak boleh dijual kepada 27 ahli blok berkenaan.
Kalau tidak politik, kami nak main apa, Mak Yong, congkak? - Salahuddin Ayub
Pakatan Harapan (PH) akan terus berpolitik demi memastikan suara rakyat terus didengari meskipun ada desakan supaya sebarang bentuk politik dihentikan buat masa ini.