Israeli airstrikes in Gaza – An explosion goes off during an airstrike carried out by Israeli warplanes after another rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. The targets of the retaliatory attack were a training centre of the Islamist Hamas movement as well as an air defence post, a concrete production facility and tunnel infrastructure, the […]
President Joe Biden has invited his counterparts Xi Jinping of China and Russia’s Vladimir Putin to a virtual climate summit he is hosting in April, the White House announced on Friday. In all, 40 world leaders have been asked to attend the two-day meeting meant to mark Washington’s return to the front lines of the […]
Russian Foreign Minister in China – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as they exchange signed documents during a signing ceremony after their meeting. – -/Russian Foreign Ministry/dpa The European Union has “destroyed” its relationship with Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday, in the […]
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain imposed sanctions on Monday on four Chinese officials and a construction company over human rights abuses against the mainly Muslim Uighur community in Xinjiang, part of coordinated action by some Western countries to put pressure on Beijing. Earlier on Monday, the United States announced sanctions on two more Chinese officials linked […]
European Parliament plenary session in Brussels – German MEP Terry Reintke speaks during a Plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels. – Alain Rolland/European Parliament/dpa The European Parliament voted to declare the bloc a “freedom zone” for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LBGTIQ) community on Thursday, in a swipe at conservatism […]
The European Union said Monday it was working to secure a big increase in Covid-19 vaccine supplies to improve its slow roll-out, as the United States denounced what it called a Russian disinformation campaign. The urgency of the global vaccine push was underlined by Latin America hitting 700,000 pandemic deaths, and Italy alone announcing that […]
Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage withdraws from politics – Brexit party leader Nigel Farage points to a small Britain flag during a plenary session of the European Parliament. Farage has announced he is retiring from politics and stepping down from his role as chairman of the Reform UK party. – Michael Kappeler/dpa British politician and Brexit […]
LONDON (Reuters) – Northern Ireland’s first minister said the European Union’s promise of legal action over the UK extending grace periods for trade showed its priority was protecting the trading bloc, not the Belfast peace agreement. “What they’re only interested in is protecting their bloc, they’re not interested, as they claim to be, in protecting […]
MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Kremlin on Wednesday played down the impact of sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union over Moscow’s treatment of opposition politician Alexei Navalny, but said it would retaliate with reciprocal measures. In President Joe Biden’s most direct challenge yet to the Kremlin, the United States on Tuesday imposed […]
The 27 leaders of the European Union want to sign off on a new shared defence strategy early next year, part of a push to improve security cooperation, European Council President Charles Michel said. “We want to increase defence investment, and we want to enhance civilian and military capabilities and operational readiness,” Michel told the […]
The United States hailed progress in turning around its troubled Covid-19 vaccine rollout, as the European Union said it was on track to meet jab targets and Asia’s inoculation drive gained pace on Friday. Brazil hit 250,000 fatalities — the second-highest national death toll after the United States — while the worldwide vaccine campaign received […]
A Moscow appeal court on Saturday upheld a prison sentence imposed on Alexei Navalny after he returned to Russia from Germany following a poisoning attack, shortening his nearly three-year jail term by just 1.5 months. Judge Dmitry Balashov rejected Navalny‘s appeal of the February 2 ruling, which had turned a 2014 suspended sentence on embezzlement […]
As President Joe Biden takes up crises from Iran to Myanmar to climate change, one aspect of his approach has been strikingly consistent — seeking rock-solid cooperation with allies. After one month in the White House, it may be too soon to speak of a “Biden doctrine” but he has quickly carried out a sharp […]
The Biden administration says it’s ready to join talks with Iran and world powers to discuss a return to the 2015 nuclear deal. The State Department said Thursday the U.S. would accept an invitation from the European Union to attend a meeting of the participants in the original agreement. Such an invitation has not yet […]
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Moscow is ready to sever ties with the European Union if the bloc hits it with painful economic sanctions, according to extracts of an interview posted on the ministry’s website on Friday. Relations between Russia and the West have come under renewed pressure over the […]
Germany, Sweden and Poland on Monday each threw out a Russian diplomat in retaliation for Moscow’s expulsion last week of their diplomats for allegedly taking part in protests in support of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. The three EU countries announced the tit-for-tat moves in coordinated statements, drawing an angry response from Russia which accused them […]
LONDON (Reuters) – Exports from Britain to the European Union fell by 68% in January as trade was disrupted after the end of a transition period following Britain’s departure from the European Union, according to a trade body representing hauliers. The government did not confirm the data and said disruption at the border had been […]
Russia on Friday said it was expelling diplomats from Germany, Poland and Sweden for participating in unauthorized demonstrations in support of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, a move the EU’s top diplomat and several European leaders condemned as “unjustified” and “completely unfounded”. The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement that an unspecified number of […]
Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny was today sentenced to two years, eight months in a prison colony for violating the probation terms of a suspended sentence on a 2014 conviction, which he claims was politically motivated. This comes on the heels of a second weekend of unauthorised protests in which thousands of Russians took to […]
The Chinese city of Wuhan marked one year since the start of its traumatic 76-day coronavirus lockdown Saturday while the pandemic continued to rage elsewhere, with US President Joe Biden warning America’s death toll could pass 600,000. Traffic hummed, sidewalks bustled, and citizens packed parks and public transport in Wuhan, underscoring the scale of the […]
European Council President Charles Michel on Wednesday called for the United States and European Union to create a “new founding pact” for their transatlantic relations. To do so, he invited Joe Biden – who is set to be sworn in as president of the US on Wednesday – to Brussels for a summit. “Today is […]
America’s relationship with Europe continues to disintegrate during the final days of the Donald Trump administration. Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn blasted the U.S. president the day after the fatal attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters seeking to overturn the election — and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cancelled a planned trip in […]
Twitter’s decision to impose a permanent ban on US President Donald Trump’s account has sparked some consternation in Europe, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel calling it “problematic”. The move, prompted by fears of “further incitement of violence” after last week’s attack on the US Capitol building that was partly blamed on the US president, reignited […]
The United States logged a record new daily virus caseload as Joe Biden slammed the Trump administration’s vaccine roll-out as a “travesty” and millions in Asia woke up to new lockdowns. Almost 1.9 million people have now died from the virus, with new variants sending cases soaring and prompting the re-introduction of curbs on movement […]
A tax on sanitary products has been abolished in Britain, in a change hailed by the government as a result of Brexit. The levy, known as “the tampon tax,” saw 5 per cent added on to the price of sanitary towels and tampons as they were classed as “luxury items”. It was applied under EU […]
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s father Stanley confirmed plans on Thursday to seek French citizenship as the free movement of Britons in the EU comes to an end under the Brexit pact delivered by his son. Speaking to France’s RTL radio in French, Stanley Johnson said: “It’s not a question of becoming French. If I […]
The US logged its highest ever daily death toll from the coronavirus Wednesday as the world prepares to turn the page on a grim year defined by the pandemic, with much of the globe united in one hope for 2021: that a slew of new vaccines will stamp out Covid-19. New Year’s Eve marks one […]
The United States announced Wednesday that it will impose additional tariffs on French and German products as part of a long-running dispute over subsidies for aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing. The tariffs are on “aircraft manufacturing parts from France and Germany, certain non-sparkling wine from France and Germany, and certain cognac and other grape brandies […]
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has signed legislation approved by British lawmakers on Wednesday implementing the post-Brexit trade deal agreed with the European Union last week. The vote on the legislation to enact the post-Brexit trade agreement was passed by 521 to 73 votes in parliament’s lower house. It now passes to the upper house […]
Vets, pet owners and others in Britain are bracing for new and potentially costly bureaucracy from Friday, when the UK ends participation in the EU passport scheme for cats and dogs. Britain will be in a new category — known as Part 2 listed status — under European Union pet travel rules, and no longer […]