Ireland does not expect Britain to trigger a clause in Northern Ireland’s fraught post-Brexit trading deal to unilaterally jettison some of its terms, Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday it was possible the British government would trigger “Article 16” if the European Union did …
Read More »EU postpones trade talks with Australia amid sub deal controversy
Australia’s trade minister said on Friday talks with the European Union over a trade deal have been postponed, as a row over Canberra’s decision to cancel a $40 billion deal with France escalated. Australia last month cancelled a deal with France’s Naval Group to build a fleet of conventional submarines …
Read More »Fire at COVID-19 hospital in Romania kills nine people
Nine people died on Friday when a fire broke out in an intensive care unit at a Romanian hospital treating COVID-19 patients, officials said, the country’s third deadly hospital fire in less than a year. Firefighters extinguished the fire at the hospital in the eastern city of Constanta at around …
Read More »Slovenia’s PM urges EU to stand with Lithuania against Chinese pressure
The European Union must stand with Lithuania against Chinese pressure and not give in to trade threats, Slovenia’s prime minister said in a letter to fellow EU leaders, according to a copy seen by Reuters. China’s decision to withdraw its ambassador to Lithuania over a dispute about Taiwan was “reprehensible” …
Read More »EU chief pledges extra $118 mln in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday vowed to boost humanitarian aid to Afghanistan as she pledged the 27-nation bloc stands “by the Afghan people”. “We must do everything to avert the real risk that is out there of a major famine and humanitarian disaster. And we will do …
Read More »EU to donate 200 mln additional COVID-19 vaccines to low-income countries
The European Union is to donate another 200 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to low-income countries, more than doubling its present pledge, the bloc’s chief said on Wednesday. The extra doses announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen come on top of 250 million shots the EU has already …
Read More »New EU office probes suspected fraud worth $5.3 billion
The EU’s prosecutor’s office, launched with fanfare three months ago, is already probing various suspected frauds against the bloc’s funds, amounting to 4.5 billion euros ($5.3 billion), it said on Tuesday. That sum is a total from some 300 investigations that have been opened since the independent body started work …
Read More »Merkel sees long road for Western Balkan states to EU membership
Western Balkan states have a long way to go to achieve membership in the European Union but it is Germany’s goal that they do, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday. At a joint news conference in Belgrade with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Merkel said it was in the geostrategic interest …
Read More »Pope urges Hungary to be more open to needy outsiders
Pope Francis said on Sunday that Hungary could preserve its Christian roots while opening up to the needy, an apparent response to nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s stand that Muslim immigration could destroy its heritage. Francis was in Hungary for an unusually short stay that underlined differences with the anti-immigrant …
Read More »Merkel says ‘unacceptable’ to use refugees to apply pressure on Poland, EU members
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday that she found it unacceptable that refugees were being used to apply pressure to Poland and other European Union members on the border with Belarus. Speaking at a news conference during what she said she expected to be her last official visit to Poland …
Read More »EU’s Borrell hails Baghdad conference as ‘important diplomatic achievement’
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has hailed the recent Baghdad conference, which aimed at promoting regional de-escalation and dialog, as an “important diplomatic achievement,” said Iraq is key to promoting stability between Iran and Saudi Arabia. In a blog post published on the website of the European External Action …
Read More »EU rejects reworking N. Ireland deal, urges calmer tone
The European Union rejected a British demand to renegotiate their deal governing the trading position of Northern Ireland, saying that to so would only bring instability and uncertainty. European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic, who oversees EU relations with post-Brexit Britain, said on Friday that the Northern Ireland protocol needed to …
Read More »EU warns new Taliban govt not ‘inclusive and representative’
The European Union on Wednesday said the “caretaker” government unveiled by the Taliban in Afghanistan failed to honor vows from the new rulers to include different groups. “Upon initial analysis of the names announced, it does not look like the inclusive and representative formation in terms of the rich ethnic …
Read More »European Union confirms its support for the Iraqi elections
On Monday, the European Union affirmed its commitment to support Iraq at all levels. The PM’s office said in a statement, “Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi received the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and his accompanying delegation.” Al-Kadhimi indicated that Iraq greatly …
Read More »MOFA: EU representative to visit Iraq Monday
Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Sunday, that the representative of the European Union, Josep Borrell, will visit Iraq tomorrow. The ministry said in a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), that “Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein will meet tomorrow, Monday, at the ministry’s headquarters, with the representative of …
Read More »AstraZeneca, EU reach settlement on delivery of remaining COVID-19 vaccines
The European Commission and AstraZeneca said on Friday they had reached a settlement on delivering remaining COVID-19 vaccine doses by the British drugmaker and also ended pending litigation in Brussels. The settlement clears a major overhang for AstraZeneca, whose cheap and easily transportable vaccine has faced several setbacks, including the …
Read More »Apple hit with antitrust case in India over in-app payments issues
Apple Inc is facing an antitrust challenge in India for allegedly abusing its dominant position in the apps market by forcing developers to use its proprietary in-app purchase system, according to a source and documents were seen by Reuters. The allegations are similar to a case Apple faces in the …
Read More »EU must create rapid reaction force, top officials say
Two senior European Union officials urged the bloc’s governments on Thursday to set up a rapidly deployable military force to intervene around the world, saying the crisis in Afghanistan offered a chance to end years of inaction. The EU’s top diplomat and its military chief said the bloc needed to …
Read More »Thousands of UK students left in limbo as Brexit hits visa schemes
Thousands of UK students hoping to spend the year abroad are caught in limbo after facing challenges to complete their language courses or take up internships in the European Union (EU). While some of the students have deferred their study projects or even have switched continents because of visa delays, …
Read More »Interfaith coalition asks Poland to help migrants stuck at border
An interfaith coalition called on Polish authorities Tuesday to give humanitarian aid to a group of migrants who have been stuck in the open air at Poland’s border with Belarus for more than three weeks. The coalition, which includes Christian, Jewish and Muslim representatives, noted that the people stuck at …
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