EU sees maritime aid corridor to Gaza opening this weekend amid famine fears
Cairo, Egypt/Larnaca, Cyprus Reuters The head of the European Commission said on Friday a maritime aid corridor could start operating between Cyprus and Gaza this weekend, part of accelerating Western efforts to relieve the humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave. Ursula von der Leyen’s comments came a day after President Joe Biden announced plans […]
Talks on EU’s AI Act to resume Friday after marathon debate
Brussels, BelgiumReuters EU lawmakers halted talks on the bloc’s landmark Artificial Intelligence Act on Thursday, agreeing to resume discussions on Friday after they failed to reach a deal during almost 24 hours of negotiations. The tense three-way debate between European Union member states, the European Commission and the European parliament will now extend into a […]
Ukraine hails “historic step” as EU takes Kyiv closer to membership
Brussels, Belgium/Kyiv, UkraineReuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy praised as a “historic step” a recommendation by the European Union executive on Wednesday to invite Kyiv to begin membership talks as soon as it meets final conditions, even as it fights to repel Russia’s war. The recommendation by the European Commission is an important milestone on Kyiv’s […]
EU temporarily holds back food aid in Somalia after UN records widespread theft
United Nations/Nairobi, Kenya/Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters The European Union executive has temporarily suspended funding for the World Food Programme in Somalia, two senior EU officials told Reuters on Monday, after a UN investigation found widespread theft and misuse of aid, which had been meant to avert a famine. The European Commission gave more than $US7 million in […]
EU plans drive to cut food waste this decade – draft
Brussels, BelgiumReuters European Union countries will be required to rein in food waste this decade under draft EU plans aimed at tackling the 10 per cent of food in Europe that gets thrown away. An estimated 131 kilograms of food is wasted per European inhabitant each year, the EU has said, costing consumers money, emitting […]
First major fire of year destroys 3,000 hectares in Spain
Villanueva de Viver, Spain Reuters Spain’s first major wildfire of the year raged in the eastern Valencia region on Friday, destroying more than 3,000 hectares of forest and forcing 1,500 residents to abandon their homes, authorities said. An unusually dry winter across parts of the south of the European continent has reduced moisture in the […]
Ukraine says half energy system crippled, Kyiv facing possible “shutdown”
Kyiv/Kherson, UkraineReuters Russian missile strikes have crippled almost half of Ukraine’s energy system, the government said on Friday, and authorities in the capital Kyiv warned that the city could face a “complete shutdown” of the power grid as winter sets in. With temperatures falling and Kyiv seeing its first snow, officials were working to restore […]
Nord Stream ruptures revealed as Europe grapples with gas plan
Copenhagen, Denmark/Brussels, BelgiumReuters Damage to the Nord Stream gas pipeline from Russia to Europe was caused by powerful explosions, Danish police said on Tuesday, echoing earlier findings into leaks that erupted in the network under the Baltic Sea and that have been blamed on sabotage. In what a Swedish newspaper described as the first publicly […]
World leaders pledge billions to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria on UN sidelines
United Nations/New York City, US Reuters The Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria on Wednesday reached $US14.25 billion pledged as world leaders seek to fight the killer diseases after progress was knocked off course by the COVID-19 pandemic. US President Joe Biden, who hosted the conference in New York on the sidelines of […]
Rebuilding Ukraine after Russian invasion may cost $US350 billion, experts say
Washington DC, USReuters Russia’s invasion caused over $US97 billion in direct damages to Ukraine through to 1st June, but it could cost nearly $US350 billion to rebuild the country, a report released Friday by the World Bank, Ukrainian Government and European Commission shows. It said Ukraine had suffered $US252 billion in losses through disruptions to […]