Tag: tusk

Poland to temporarily suspend right to asylum after Belarus border tensions, Tusk says

WARSAW (Reuters) -Poland plans to temporarily suspend the right to asylum as part of a strategy to limit illegal migration amidst tensions with Belarus, which Warsaw accuses of channelling migrants across its border. “One of the elements of the migration strategy will be the temporary territorial suspension of the right to asylum,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Saturday. “I will demand this, I will demand recognition in Europe for this decision,” he told a […]

Polish PM Tusk warns Europe has entered ‘pre-war era’

WARSAW, March 30, 2024 (AFP) – Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned of the “real” threat of conflict in Europe, saying that for the first time since the end of World War II the continent has entered a “pre-war era”. “War is no longer a concept from the past. It is real, and it started over two years ago. The most worrying thing at the moment is that literally any scenario is possible. We […]

Former EU chief Donald Tusk claims victory in Poland election after exit poll

By Anna Maria JAKUBEK WARSAW, Oct 15, 2023 (AFP) – Former EU chief Donald Tusk, leader of the Polish opposition that is tipped to have won a majority in Sunday’s elections, is a football-mad historian with roots in the anti-communist movement. The 66-year-old former prime minister plunged back into Polish politics as head of the centrist Civic Platform party after returning from a stint in Brussels. President of the European Council until 2019, he handled […]

Tusk recommends EU leaders agree to postpone Brexit

by Christian SPILLMANN / Dave CLARK BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — The president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, on Tuesday recommended that EU leaders postpone Britain’s departure from the bloc while its prime minister seeks approval of their divorce deal. EU ambassadors are to meet in Brussels on Wednesday after the British House of Commons rejected Boris Johnson’s bid to set a tight three-day schedule to approve a Brexit bill this week. This effectively destroyed […]

EU fears voter apathy despite populist surge

by Christian SPILLMANN Four days before Europe’s 400 million potential voters are called to the polls, EU leaders hope to reverse the usual low turnout to avoid opening the door to eurosceptic forces. The European Parliament, that will be elected in votes across 28 nations between Thursday and Sunday, has never been more important in framing the continent’s laws. But each such continent-wide vote since the first one in 1979 has seen a lower turnout […]

British MPs set to vote on no-deal Brexit

By Dario THUBURN LONDON, March 13, 2019 (AFP) – British MPs will vote Wednesday on whether the country should leave the EU without a deal in just over two weeks, after overwhelmingly rejecting a draft divorce agreement. The House of Commons is expected to vote against a “no deal” Brexit, although this could still happen on March 29 unless it can agree on what should happen instead. MPs on Tuesday rejected for a second time […]

Turkey condemns ‘unacceptable’ EU comments on Greece, Cyprus

  ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) — Turkey on Friday condemned a statement by European Union leaders bitterly critical of Ankara’s policies towards bloc members Cyprus and Greece, raising tensions just days ahead of a key summit. “The statement that was issued contained unacceptable comments against our country that serve the interests of Greece and the Greek Cypriots,” foreign ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy told reporters in response to Thursday’s EU statement. EU President Donald Tusk and European Commission […]

Elephant poaching costs Africa tourism $25mn: study

PARIS, France (AFP) — Stopping the killing of elephants for their tusks could add some $25 million (23 million euros) to Africa’s annual tourism income, more than offsetting the anti-poaching spend, a study said Tuesday. While the figure pales in comparison to the estimated value of the black market ivory trade in China, it represents about a fifth of tourist income for game parks in 14 countries, where half of Africa’s elephants are located, the […]