EU countries reach deal on climate laws after late-night talks
LuxembourgReuters EU countries clinched deals on proposed laws to combat climate change early Wednesday, backing a 2035 phase-out of new fossil fuel car sales and a multibillion-euro fund to shield poorer citizens from CO2 costs. After more than 16 hours of negotiations, environment ministers from the European Union’s 27 member states agreed their joint positions […]
Russia pounds Ukraine’s east as town buries dead in mass grave
Kyiv/Kramatorsk, Ukraine Reuters Russian forces on Wednesday pounded Ukrainian-held twin cities in the Donbas region that is now the focus of the three-month war, threatening to shut off the last main escape route for civilians trapped in the path of their advance. After failing to seize Ukraine’s capital Kyiv or its second city Kharkiv, Russia […]
Europeans want fairer, greener, more agile EU – report
Brussels, BelgiumReuters European Union citizens would like the 27-nation bloc to become fairer, show greater solidarity, lead the fight against climate change and make swifter decisions, even if it means scrapping the need for unanimity on some issues, an EU report showed. The report is the result of a year of consultations with citizens by […]
EU estimates up to 80 per cent of population has had COVID
Brussels, BelgiumReuters The European Commission said that between 60 per cent and 80 per cent of the EU population was estimated to have been infected with COVID-19, as the bloc enters a post-emergency phase in which mass reporting of cases was no longer necessary. In preparing for this less acute phase, European Union governments should ramp […]
European rights experts say Russia has committed war crimes in Ukraine
Vienna, Austria Reuters A mission of experts set up by Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe has found evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity by Russia in Ukraine, the mission said in a report on Wednesday. The mission was set up last month by 45 of the OSCE’s 57 participating states to […]
Global donors pledge 9.1 billion euros to support Ukrainian refugees
Brussels, BelgiumReuters Donors including the Canadian Government and the European Commission on Saturday pledged a €9.1 billion in donations, loans and grants to support refugees fleeing the war following Russia’s invasion. The fundraising event in Warsaw, Poland, €1.8 billion to support internally displaced people inside Ukraine, and €7.3 billion for refugees who have fled the […]
EU offers farmers aid, more land to grow due to Ukraine war
Brussels, BelgiumReuters The European Union will distribute €500 million to help farmers and allow them to grow crops on fallow land to mitigate food price spikes and potential shortages resulting from Russia’s war in Ukraine. Published on Wednesday, the proposals by the EU’s executive European Commission also include assistance to Ukraine to help its farmers […]
EU draft pulled after Vatican complains Christmas “cancelled”
Rome, Italy AP The European Commission on Tuesday retracted internal communication guidelines that had proposed substituting the “Christmas period” with “holiday period” after an outcry by conservatives and the Vatican, which termed the document an attempt to “cancel” Europe’s Christian roots. The European Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, said the draft document had been intended […]
EU has exported more than one billion COVID-19 vaccines, von der Leyen says
Brussels, BelgiumReuters More than a billion COVID-19 vaccines produced in the European Union have been exported since December, 2020, making the bloc the biggest exporter of the shots, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday. The vaccines had gone to more than 150 countries, and the EU had exported as many doses […]
EU unveils strategy to tackle rising anti-Semitism in Europe
Brussels, BelgiumAP The European Union unveiled Tuesday a new strategy to combat growing anti-Semitism in Europe with plans to better tackle hate speech, raise awareness about Jewish life, protect places of worship and ensure that the Holocaust isn’t forgotten. According to Europe’s Fundamental Rights Agency, nine out of 10 Jews consider that anti-Semitism has increased […]