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LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Securing a Brexit deal will be vital for European security, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Monday, ahead of a week of crucial talks. “This is a crucial week both for the UK and our European partners, Hunt said in a statement ahead of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Luxembourg. “The importance of achieving a Brexit deal that respects the autonomy of the EU and the sovereignty […]
VIENNA, Austria (AFP) — Former Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern announced Saturday he would retire from politics, thereby also ending his bid to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker as EU Commission president next year. Kern, who stepped down as head of the opposition Social Democrat (SPOe) party last month, earlier indicated he had considered putting himself forward as a candidate to take over from Juncker. But on Saturday, the 52-year-old told reporters he was ending his career […]
by Damon Wake Agence France Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — As doubts grow over China’s vast “Belt and Road” trade infrastructure project, the EU is launching an alternative plan for Asia that it says will not saddle countries with debt they cannot repay. EU member countries are expected to sign off on the new “Asia connectivity strategy” — which aims to improve transport, digital and energy links while promoting environmental and labor standards — […]
BAMAKO, Mali (AFP) — The Mali government on Monday published a list of 871 polling stations which were unable to operate during last week’s presidential election due to outbreaks of violence, adding that almost a quarter of a million people had been unable to vote. A total of 245,888 voters — mainly in northern Timbuktu region, central Mopti and Segou in the south — “were unable to vote for various reasons” during the July 21 […]
by Danny Kemp / Céline Le Prioux Agence France-Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) – The EU hit Google with its biggest ever fine Wednesday, imposing a 4.34 billion euro ($5 billion) penalty on the US tech giant for illegally abusing the dominance of its operating system for mobile devices. Brussels accused Google of using the Android system’s near-stranglehold on smartphones and tablets to promote the use of its own Google search engine and shut out rivals. […]
by Hiroshi HIYAMA Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan and the EU signed a sweeping free trade deal Tuesday saying they were sending a “clear message” against protectionism, as Washington puts up barriers and threatens a trade war. The deal signed in Tokyo is the largest ever negotiated by the EU and creates a massive free trade zone, eliminating tariffs for everything from Japanese cars to French cheese. It also provides a stark […]
by Ben Dooley Agence France-Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — The European Union called Monday on the United States, China and Russia to work together to cool worsening global trade tensions, warning that they could spiral into violent “conflict and chaos.” The comments from EU Council President Donald Tusk comes as Washington and Beijing stand on the brink of an all-out trade war many fear could hammer the global economy, while the US has also picked […]
by Dario THUBURN Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom – British Prime Minister Theresa May faced down a backlash against her strategy for leaving the European Union on Monday as both her Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit minister David Davis resigned in protest. Johnson warned in his letter of resignation to May that Britain was headed for the “status of colony” of the EU after it leaves in March, and said the Brexit “dream is […]
by Dario THUBURN Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom – British Prime Minister Theresa May won agreement Friday from her warring cabinet to pursue “a UK-EU free trade area” after Brexit, as she bids to unblock negotiations with the bloc amid warnings time is running out to get a deal. The proposal would create “a common rule book for industrial goods and agricultural products”, May said in a statement following a day of talks at Chequers, […]
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Wikipedia went down in at least three countries Wednesday in a protest at an upcoming European Parliament vote on a highly disputed law that could make online platforms legally liable for copyrighted material put on the web by users. In Spain, Italy, and Poland, an explanatory protest statement about the upcoming vote came up when the online encyclopedia was consulted. “The directive would threaten online freedom and would impose new filters, […]
by Danny Kemp and Lachlan Carmichael Agence France-Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) – EU leaders clinched a crucial migration deal during all-night talks Friday that Italy’s hardline new premier said meant his country was “no longer alone” in shouldering the responsibility for migrants. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who heads a month-old anti-immigration government, had vetoed joint conclusions for the entire agenda of the summit in Brussels until his demands were finally met before dawn. Italy […]
OSLO, Norway (AFP) — Facebook and Google are pushing users to share private information by offering “invasive” and limited default options despite new EU data protection laws aimed at giving users more control and choice, a government study said Wednesday. The Norwegian Consumer Council found that the US tech giants’ privacy updates clash with the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which forces companies to clarify what choices people have when sharing private information. “These […]
