EU

End of Iran sanctions “not impossible” in January 2016, IAEA chief says

Iran’s aim of having sanctions against it lifted by the end of January under a deal with major powers is “not impossible”, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog monitoring its implementation said on Wednesday (December 16). Tehran is racing to keep its side of the deal reached with world powers in July, under which the sanctions that have battered its economy will be suspended in exchange for Iran severely limiting its nuclear programme. Iranian […]

Blatter arrives for his appearance before the FIFA Ethics Committee

Suspended FIFA President Sepp Blatter arrived at FIFA headquarters on Thursday (December 17) for his hearing before the group’s ethics panel. FIFA investigators in November called for sanctions against Blatter and European (UEFA) soccer chief Michel Platini, both of whom were suspended from their posts for 90 days on Oct. 8 pending a full investigation. Blatter has reiterated that a 2 million Swiss franc ($2.02 million) payment from FIFA to Platini in 2011 — when […]

France hands over climate conference venue to UN

(Courtesy CCTV) — French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on Saturday handed over the key to Le Bourget to United Nations climate chief Christiana Figueres, a symbol to shift the administration power of the commune to the UN ahead of the 2015 UN climate change conference in Paris. Receiving the “Key of Hope”, Figueres said she appreciates what France has done for the climate conference. After the ceremony, the French foreign minister took the UN climate […]

Clarification on Schengen visas, traveling to France

MANILA – The French government has decided to re-establish internal border controls following the terrorist attacks that took place in Paris and its region last November 13, 2015. This decision does not affect the validity of visas previously issued by French consulates or Schengen missions across the world, which should continue to allow entry in France and/or free circulation within the Schengen area. To facilitate border entry, holders of Schengen visas are requested to have in […]

French Embassy to the PH: “France will always fight against extremism”

MANILA – Following the terrorist attacks that claimed many lives and injured even more innocent people in Paris and its region on November 13, France has received many messages of solidarity from all over the world. We are deeply touched by the heartfelt expressions of support in the Philippines extended by President Benigno S. Aquino III, the national and local authorities, the people of the Philippines, and all those from foreign embassies and groups who have […]

Raising Awareness and Promoting ARF Cooperation on CBRN Risk Mitigation

September 10, 2015 – The Republic of the Philippines and the European Union co-chaired an ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Workshop on “Raising awareness and promoting ARF cooperation on chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) risk mitigation” in Makati City, Metro Manila, on September 9 and 10, 2015. The workshop brought together 75 participants from the ASEAN member states, the European Union, Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand and the USA as well as […]

EU to give 500 million euros to farmers hit by Russia sanctions

BRUSSELS, Belgium, September 8 (Reuters) — The European Commission announced a 500 million euro ($557 million) package of measures on Monday (September 7) to provide relief for farmers stung by slumping prices, triggered partly by the loss of exports to Russia due to EU sanctions against the country. The crisis has triggered a wave of protests which culminated on Monday with nearly 5,000 farmers and more than 1,000 tractors arriving in Brussels, where an emergency […]

Greek pensioners queue at banks as fears grow over cash shortages

(Reuters) — Greek pensioners queued outside banks in Athens once again on Wednesday (July 8) to withdraw their pensions as fears grew that the country’s cash reserves would soon run dry. The scenes have been repeated outside 1,000 bank branches across Greece since banks were closed and capital controls imposed on June 29. Banks were only opened during the last week to pensioners who do not have credit or debit cards. Other people stood in […]

Amber Diggers

(Reuters) A group of men wearing mudded khaki pants and rubber boots are digging into hard clay with their shovels at the bottom of a pit in Russia’s Kaliningrad region some 1200 km (750 miles) west of Moscow. The men are searching for amber – 50-million-year-old fossilized tree resin. Kaliningrad region, enclaved between Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic Sea shore, is home for 90 percent of world’s amber deposits and some of them lay just […]

Greek finance minister calls for quick deal

JUNE 9 (Reuters) – Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis says a cash-for-reforms deal is needed quickly, and that it is Europe’s collective duty to find a solution to Greece’s debt crisis. SHOWS: BERLIN, GERMANY (JUNE 8, 2015) (REUTERS – ACCESS ALL) 1. FRENCH CATHEDRAL IN BERLIN’S GENDARMENMARKT SQUARE 2. VARIOUS OF ANTI-AUSTERITY PROTESTERS 3. GREEK FINANCE MINISTER YANIS VAROUFAKIS ARRIVING AND WALKING UP STEPS 4. VAROUFAKIS ENTERING ROOM AND TAKING SEAT 5. VAROUFAKIS SITTING 6. […]

WWF Lauds BFAR for Lifting of Yellow Card Rating for RP

THE European Union (EU) on 21 April lifted the nation’s Yellow Card fisheries rating, which was slapped onto the Philippines in June 2014 for inadequately addressing illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing or IUUF. “We laud the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and all players for this success, but we should not stop here. We have created the momentum to sustainably transform the country’s fisheries sector,” says World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines) President […]

Mogherini says Europe must show flexibility on Greece

Europe must show flexibility in dealing with the Greek debt crisis not just out of a sense of solidarity but to defend the common interest as well, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Tuesday (April 14). “If one falls, it’s the whole system that falls,” she said. Speaking with students ahead of a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in the German town of Luebeck, Mogherini said the rest of the EU should […]