Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
by Isabel MALSANG Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) – Europe is seeking to expand its lithium mining and refining capacity and wean itself off imports as the “white gold” becomes a vital resource in the fight against climate change. Alongside nickel and cobalt, lithium allows electricity to be stored and transported, making them essential in electric battery production as car manufacturers move away from polluting fossil fuels. But Europe mostly depends on external sources for […]
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — An EU ban on tattoo ink and permanent make-up containing chemicals feared to cause cancers or other health risks went into effect on Tuesday, officials said. The prohibition covers hazardous substances such as certain azo dyes, carcinogenic aromatic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals and methanol. “The restriction covers carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic substances, chemicals prohibited in cosmetics, skin sensitisers, skin and eye irritants, metal impurities, aromatic amines and some pigments,” […]
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) – The European Union is planning to label energy from nuclear power and natural gas as “green” sources for investment despite internal disagreement over whether they truly qualify as sustainable options. The proposal, seen by AFP on Saturday, aims to support the 27-nation bloc’s shift towards a carbon-neutral future and gild its credentials as a global standard-setter for fighting climate change. But the fact the European Commission quietly distributed the text to […]
by Marc BURLEIGH BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — EU leaders said on Thursday that vaccinations and booster shots would be vital to counter the Omicron coronavirus variant as countries stepped up restrictions to slow its startling spread. The EU summit they were participating in also emphasised the need for “coordinated efforts” based on science, amid go-it-alone measures applied notably by Italy. The joint conclusion, swiftly adopted at the beginning of the one-day gathering, underlined the urgency […]
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — The EU’s drug watchdog on Monday said it was evaluating an application by Johnson & Johnson for its Covid vaccine booster shot to be used on people aged 18 and over in the bloc. If approved, the booster will be the third in the 27-nation European Union for adults and will be given at least two months after a first single-shot dose. “EMA’s human medicines committee (CHMP) will carry out […]
by Jan HENNOP THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — Pharmaceutical giant Novavax has applied for authorization for their coronavirus vaccine in the EU with a decision possible “within weeks”, Europe’s drugs regulator said Wednesday. The jab, if approved, would be the fifth authorized for use within the EU — the other four are made by Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca/Oxford, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. The assessment of the vaccine, which goes under the brand name Nuvaxovid, would be […]
by Camille BAS-WOHLERT Agence France Presse COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AFP) — Premature deaths caused by fine particle air pollution have fallen 10 percent annually across Europe, but the invisible killer still accounts for 307,000 premature deaths a year, the European Environment Agency said Monday. If the latest air quality guidelines from the World Health Organisation were followed by EU members, the latest number of fatalities recorded in 2019 could be cut in half, according to […]
LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg (AFP) – The impact of surging gas and electricity prices globally threatens the EU’s energy market, but the bloc will not react hastily, officials said on Tuesday. An emergency meeting of EU ministers in Luxembourg to discuss the issue largely backed 11 member countries in rejecting proposals from Spain and France for deep-rooted reforms to the market. The ministers recognised the price hikes “jeopardised the integrity of the European energy market,” the chair of […]
STRASBOURG, France (AFP) – The European Parliament backed Wednesday an ambitious EU push to make farming more sustainable, in a move hailed by environmental activists who also called for binding targets for slashing pesticides. A majority of 452 legislators gave the thumbs up to a report on the EU executive’s “farm to fork” strategy in the face of intense lobbying from agricultural groups. There were 170 against with 76 abstentions. “MEPs highlighted the need for enhanced […]
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — The European Union has exported “over one billion” doses of Covid-19 vaccines in the past 10 months, the bloc’s chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday. “Very clearly, the European Union is the largest exporter of Covid-19 vaccines,” she said, announcing the “important milestone” in a brief broadcast and statement. Von der Leyen said that 87 million of the doses had been funnelled through the WHO-led Covax scheme to mid- […]
by Roland JACKSON Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – European and UK gas prices surged Wednesday to record peaks, energised by fears of runaway demand in the upcoming northern hemisphere winter. Europe’s reference Dutch TTF gas price hit 162.12 euros per megawatt hour and UK prices leapt to 407.82 pence per therm in morning deals. However, prices later reversed as supply concerns eased somewhat. “It’s panic and fear with winter just around the corner,” […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – The UK government announced plans on Wednesday to relax regulation of gene-edited crops, following the country’s departure from the European Union. Under the changes, which will apply to England, the government has said it will “cut red tape and make research and development easier”, allowing gene-edited crops to be tested in the same way as naturally occurring new varieties. The devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which set […]
