EU countries split over nature law in latest blow to green agenda
Brussels, Belgium Reuters The European Union’s flagship policy to restore damaged nature is hanging in the balance, with a vote to pass the law on Monday cancelled after Hungary unexpectedly withdrew its support for the bill. The vote, scheduled to take place at a meeting of EU countries’ environment ministers in Brussels, was called off […]
US military airlifts embassy personnel from Haiti, bolsters security
Washington DC, US Reuters The US military said on Sunday it has carried out an operation in Haiti to airlift non-essential embassy personnel from the country and added US forces to bolster embassy security, as the Caribbean nation reels under a state of emergency. The operation was the latest sign of Haiti’s troubles as gang […]
EU’s democratic safeguards on financial aid fall short, auditors say
Brussels, Belgium Reuters EU conditions for ensuring rule of law among member states before they can receive financial aid are not strong enough to completely rule out a backsliding in democracy, the 27-nation bloc’s auditors said on Wednesday. The European Union has tightened democratic safeguards on payouts from the bloc’s shared budget in recent years […]
“It stinks!”: Milan residents grapple with high pollution
Milan, Italy Reuters Pietro De Luca lives in Italy’s finance and fashion capital Milan but often thinks of moving to a cleaner city with his wife and three children to escape high pollution and the health risks it causes. “It stinks! I smell a constant stench of smog, I cough, I feel my throat burning,” […]
US to impose “major sanctions” on Russia over Navalny death; EU demands independent investigation
Washington DC, US Reuters The US will announce a major package of sanctions against Russia on Friday over the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the two-year Ukraine war, President Joe Biden said on Tuesday. Biden, speaking to reporters as he departed on a trip to California, did not give details. A person gestures […]
Google to launch anti-misinformation campaign ahead of EU elections
London, UK Reuters Google is preparing to launch an anti-misinformation campaign across five countries in the European Union, the company told Reuters ahead of the bloc’s parliamentary elections and tougher new rules tackling online content. In June, EU citizens will elect a new European Parliament to pass policies and laws in the region and lawmakers […]
Slovakia approves criminal law reforms that sparked protests
Reuters The Slovak parliament approved reforms scrapping a special prosecution branch dealing with high-level crime and lowering punishments for financial crimes in a fast-track procedure on Thursday, amid public protests and concerns from the European Commission. The government of Prime Minister Robert Fico, who took power last October for the fourth time after a stint […]
Climate change drives world to first 12-month spell over 1.5 degrees
Brussels, Belgium/London, UK Reuters The world just experienced its warmest January on record, marking the first 12-month period in which temperatures averaged more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times, the European Union’s climate change monitoring service said on Thursday. Already 2023 was the planet’s hottest year in global records going back to 1850, as […]
Police move to end Dutch farmer protests
Brussels, Belgium/Amsterdam, The Netherlands Reuters Dutch police moved on Monday to end demonstrations by farmers who disrupted traffic throughout the Netherlands by blocking exit roads of highways and setting fires along those roads. Angered by low prices for their produce, rising costs, cheap imports and environmental regulations imposed by the European Union, farmers have blocked […]
EU diplomat says defunding UN Palestinian agency would be dangerous
Brussels, Belgium Reuters The European Union’s top diplomat said on Sunday cutting funds to UNRWA would put hundreds of thousands of lives at risk, amid allegations some of the UN Palestinian refugee agency’s staff were involved in the 7th October Hamas attacks on Israel. A string of countries, including the United States, Britain and Italy, […]