World News

EU ambassador to UK says trust is low ahead of Brexit talks

The European Union's ambassador to the United Kingdom said on Sunday that levels of trust between the two powers was low ahead of Brexit talks on the Northern Ireland protocol…

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Germany backs carbon pricing in EU climate policy overhaul – document

The German government is backing an extension of European Union carbon pricing and an end to free carbon permits for airlines as the bloc prepares new measures to help meet…

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Kyiv seeks EU support to revive war-ravaged businesses in eastern Ukraine

Kyiv is proposing a multi-billion dollar investment plan for towns and businesses along the conflict line with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, hoping to show its citizens that siding with…

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EU Parliament and Council approve €14bn support package for countries on path to EU membership

Parliament and Council negotiators have reached agreement on a €14.2 billion package governing the 2021-2027 funding for countries on the path to EU membership, paving the way or important EU-related…

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Resisting patent waiver, EU submits vaccine plan to WTO

The European Union submitted to the World Trade Organization on Friday a plan it believes will more effectively broaden supply of COVID-19 vaccines than the intellectual property (IP) rights waiver…

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Euro zone retail sales fall more than expected in April

Euro zone retail sales fell more than expected in April, dragged down by a decline in sales of non-food products, but were still much higher than 12 months earlier when…

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EU presses shipping regulator for tougher carbon reduction standards

The European Union will push for tougher standards to cut the CO2 emissions intensity of ships at a meeting of the United Nations' maritime agency next week, a senior official…

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EU nations agree air traffic reform to cut aviation emissions

European Union nations agreed on a reform of the bloc’s air traffic management aimed at cutting emissions, reducing costs for hard-hit airlines, and improving safety. The reform, known as Single…

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Europe secures 55,000 doses of Roche-Regeneron COVID drug hope

The European Union has secured about 55,000 doses of a potential treatment for COVID-19 based on a cocktail of monoclonal antibodies developed by U.S. drugmaker Regeneron and Swiss pharmaceutical giant…

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EU, ASEAN conclude landmark air transport agreement

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union have concluded the world's first bloc-to-bloc air transport agreement, ASEAN said, to allow their airlines to easier expand services…

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Top EU court dismisses Hungary’s complaint over democracy probe

The top European Union court dismissed Hungary's challenge against the opening in 2018 of a disciplinary procedure against Budapest for undermining democracy in the formerly communist country. Budapest had challenged…

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Facebook’s marketplace in EU, UK antitrust crosshairs

The European Union and the UK have launched antitrust investigations into Facebook's use of advertising data in its classified ads business, probes which could force it to change its business…

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EU launches digital identity wallet driven by pandemic, digital push

The European Commission announced plans for a digital identity wallet to allow Europeans to access public and private services via their mobile phone as the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the need…

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UPDATED: EU to ban Belarus overflights from midnight

European Union ambassadors on Friday adopted a plan to ban Belarus airlines from flying over EU territory or landing in EU airports, three diplomats said. The decision is part of…

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EU set to launch infringement procedure over Italian media law

The European Commission is set to launch an infringement procedure against Italy over a media law potentially curbing Vivendi's interests in the country, newspaper la Repubblica reported on Friday. The…

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EU’s carbon border tariff to target steel, cement, power

The European Union plans to impose carbon emission costs on imports of goods including steel, cement and electricity, Bloomberg News reported. The European Commission is due to propose its carbon…

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Euro zone business growth soared in May as restrictions eased -PMI

Euro zone business activity surged in May as the easing of some coronavirus related restrictions injected life into the bloc's dominant services industry, a survey showed, echoing data on Tuesday…

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New study shows rise in antisemitic online content during the pandemic

Today the European Commission has published the findings of the study “The rise of Antisemitism online during the pandemic”, conducted by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), which analyses online content…

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European consumer group BEUC joins EU antitrust case against Apple

The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) lobby group backed the European Union's antitrust case against Apple which alleges it distorts competition in the music streaming market. The European Commission filed its…

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Vaccine disinformation: platforms monitoring program extended until the end of the year

Věra Jourová, Vice-President for Values and Transparency, said: “The report on vaccine disinformation show how important it is to be able to effectively monitor the measures put in place by the…

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EU justice chief says EU to adopt more safeguards in revamped EU data transfer tools,

The European Commission will on Friday adopt revamped data transfer tools with more legal and privacy safeguards to allow companies to transfer Europeans' data securely around the world, the EU…

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Large majority of Maltese satisfied with EU response to pandemic

A large majority of the Maltese population said they were satisfied with the EU's response to the pandemic and want the Union to have a greater role in combating similar…

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MEPs lament lack of rule of law implementation, threaten EU court action

A number of MEPs have lamented the fact that the European Commission has failed to apply the Rule of Law Conditionality Mechanism. Speaking out against what they described as 'delaying…

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EU court backs Tesco workers in equal pay dispute

Thousands of current and former employees of UK supermarket group Tesco on Thursday won the support of Europe's top court in their fight for equal pay in a judgment that…

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Germany “persistently” broke air pollution rules, EU top court rules

Germany persistently violated EU limits on air pollution, the European Union's top court said on Thursday, in a ruling that could see the country face financial penalties if it fails…

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Czech prime minister may be among first in crosshairs of new European prosecutor

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and his business empire may be among the first cases investigated by the European Union’s new joint prosecution after a referral from national authorities, a…

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Bill Gates and EU pledge $1 billion boost for green technology

The European Union and an energy investment programme founded by Bill Gates plan to raise up to $1 billion to roll out the low-carbon technologies Europe is betting on to…

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ECB’s Knot: Dutch, European, world economies recovering quicker than expected

The head of the Netherlands' Central Bank Klaas Knot said on Wednesday the Dutch economy is recovering more quickly than expected from the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.…

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Euro zone producer prices rise more than expected in April

Euro zone producer prices rose more than expected in April, boosted by a surge in energy prices, data from the European Union's statistics office Eurostat showed on Wednesday. Eurostat said…

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Eleven EU countries oppose plan to prolong gas project funding

Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and eight other countries will reject a plan to prolong European Union support for cross-border natural gas projects, and instead push for rules to exclude fossil…

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EU Commission presents new Schengen strategy

The European Commission presents today a new Strategy aiming to make the world's largest free movement area - the Schengen area - stronger and more resilient. The Schengen area is home to…

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EU delays including UK to Covid ‘white list’ due to fears of Delta variant

The EU has delayed putting the UK on a “white list” of countries from where non-essential travel into the bloc is approved because of concerns about the rise in cases…

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Digital euro could boost single currency’s international use, ECB says

Creating a digital euro could boost the single currency's international status by making it easier to use for paying or saving, the European Central Bank said on Wednesday. The European…

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EU steps up its rules on cash controls to fight money laundering and terrorist financing

New rules come into force tomorrow, 3 June, which will improve the EU's system of controls of cash entering and leaving the EU. As part of the EU's efforts to tackle money laundering and…

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EU to keep its borrowing limits suspended in 2022, restore them in 2023

The European Commission will keep borrowing limits for European Union governments suspended for the third year in a row in 2022 to help finance an economic recovery from the pandemic,…

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EU to step up digital push with digital identity wallet

The European Commission will on Thursday announce plans for a digital identity wallet to allow Europeans to access public and private services, prompted in part by the COVID-19 pandemic which…

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EU backs 800 million euro Greek scheme to help tourism industry through pandemic

The European Commission has approved an 800 million euro scheme by Greece, designed to support tourism companies which have been heavily affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. “They (the companies) have…

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EU reaches deal on tax transparency for multinational firms

European Union government and parliament negotiators reached a deal on Tuesday on rules that will force large multinational companies to disclose how much revenue and tax they pay in the…

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EU to add Japan to safe travel list, leave UK off for now

The European Union is set to add Japan to its small list of “safe” countries from which it will allow non-essential travel, but will hold off opening the door to…

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Euro zone inflation jumps past ECB target in May

Euro zone inflation surged past the European Central Bank's elusive target in May, heightening a communications challenge for policymakers who will happily live with higher prices for now but may face a…

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EU set to unveil plans for bloc-wide digital wallet: FT

The European Union (EU) is set to unveil plans for a bloc-wide digital wallet on Wednesday, following requests from member states to find a safe way for citizens to access public and private…

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EP nearing crucial vote on €90bn European Social Fund+

The approval of the new ESF+, the EU’s main financial instrument to support Member States in the field of jobs, education, skills and social inclusion reaches a crucial juncture next…

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EU to kick off pandemic plan with 10 bln euro bond issue -French minister

The European Union plans to kick off its 750 billion euro ($917 billion) pandemic recovery package with an initial 10 billion euro bond issue, France's junior minister for European affairs,…

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Three arrested for smuggling over 250 Vietnamese migrants to Germany

In the early hours of 31 May, some 740 police officers carried out coordinated raids across Germany and Slovakia against the members of a criminal syndicate smuggling Vietnamese nationals into…

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New euro zone business loans plunge in April

New lending to euro zone companies plunged in April, indicating that banks are tightening access to credit even as the bloc starts to emerge from a year of lockdowns, data…

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EU approves use of BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine for children 12 and up

Children aged 12 and up in the European Union can be administered with the Covid-19 vaccine made by BioNTech/Pfizer after the European Commission granted its approval on Monday."Member states can now…

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WTO accepts Malaysia’s request to examine EU palm oil rules

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreed to a request from Kuala Lumpur to establish a panel examining a European Union law that restricts the use of palm oil-based biofuels, Malaysia's…

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UPDATED: European Commission urges travel reopening ahead of summer

The European Commission proposed on Monday that all EU countries gradually ease travel measures over the summer as the number of COVID-19 vaccinations continues to grow and the severity of…

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EU says reduction in J&J vaccine deliveries only temporary

The European Commission said on Monday that the reduction in deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines from Johnson & Johnson to EU member states was only temporary, and the company was still…

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European consortium led by Airbus to design EU quantum internet

The European Commission has selected a consortium of companies and research institutes to study the design of the future European quantum communication network, EuroQCI (quantum communication infrastructure). It will enable…

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Ewropej: Human rights approach needed regarding cannabis legislation

“The war on drugs has failed and a human rights approach is needed on the matter,” Maltese MEP Cyrus Engerer said. The Labour Party MEP was speaking after his office…

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Europe has passed turning point but still needs ECB support: Schnabel

The euro zone economy has reached a turning point and the recent rise in borrowing costs reflects improved fundamentals, European Central Bank board member Isabel Schnabel told Reuters, playing down…

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316 blood-clot cases registered in Europe after AstraZeneca shot, death rate lower – EMA

A total of 316 cases of rare blood clots with low platelets have been recorded in adults who received AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine in the European Economic Area, an executive of…

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European Commission and national consumer protection authorities launch dialogue with TikTok

Today, the European Commission and the network of national consumer authorities (CPC) have launched a formal dialogue with TikTok to review its commercial practices and policy. This follows an alert by the European Consumer…

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EU regulator oks Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for 12-year-olds

Europe's medicines regulator on Friday backed the use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as 12, paving the way for a broader roll-out in the region after similar…

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EU outlines a €3 billion economic support package to a future democratic Belarus

Today, the European Commission is presenting to the Council its outline for a comprehensive plan of economic support to a future democratic Belarus. The plan, of up to €3 billion, reflects…

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TikTok given a month to respond to claims of EU consumer rights breaches

Chinese-owned short video-sharing app TikTok has been given a month to respond to multiple complaints from EU consumer groups that it allegedly violated the bloc's consumer laws and also allegedly…

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