London, United Kingdom | AFP | British Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday told European leaders that her March deadline for triggering Brexit negotiations “remains unchanged” despite a court ruling that she first needs parliament’s approval. May told European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and German Chancellor Angela Merkel that the …
Read More »Britain could hold second EU vote, says ex-PM Blair
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain’s former prime minister Tony Blair said Friday there was nothing preventing a second Brexit referendum and warned that the break-up would be “very, very tough” as European leaders were in an unforgiving mood. He called on fellow “Remain” supporters to “mobilise and to …
Read More »‘British PM Theresa May a master of dodging questions’
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Theresa May is in a class of her own when it comes to not answering questions, according to analysis of her major interviews since becoming Britain’s prime minister. Such is her niche skill that researchers had to come up with a brand new category …
Read More »Charity scores small win in Hepatitis C drug battle
Berlin, Germany | AFP | A medical charity scored a small victory Wednesday in its bid to break a US pharma giant’s hold on an eye-wateringly expensive Hepatitis C drug when a European body partially revoked the firm’s patent. Patient groups around the world have accused Gilead Sciences of charging …
Read More »EU observers were wiretapped during Gabon vote
Paris, France | AFP | Gabonese intelligence wiretapped EU election observers who voiced grave doubts over the outcome of hotly disputed August 27 polls in the oil-rich central African nation, a French weekly reported Sunday. In what it dubbed Gabon’s “Watergate”, the Journal du Dimanche (JDD) did not say how …
Read More »EU says Gabon court failed to address poll ‘anomalies’
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | EU monitors said Sunday that Gabon’s top court had failed to rectify vote-counting “anomalies” in fiercely-disputed elections in which President Ali Bongo extended his family’s rule in the oil-rich nation into a fifth decade. The European Union’s electoral observer mission said it “regretted” that Gabon’s …
Read More »AU finally secures EU funding for Mission in Somalia
The AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has got a much needed boost, after the European Union signed a 15th contract to provide financial support to the African Union (AU) peace keeping mission. AU Commissioner for Peace and Security Ambassador Smail Chergui signed on Wednesday on behalf of the African Union. The EU is offering 178 …
Read More »Five things to know about VW’s ‘dieselgate’ scandal
Frankfurt, Germany | AFP | It has been a year since Volkswagen admitted to fitting millions of cars with cheating software to dupe emissions tests, plunging the German auto giant into one of the biggest scandals ever to hit the industry. Billions of dollars in compensation later and mired in …
Read More »East African leaders delay decision on EU economic partnership
The East African Community (EAC) leaders have requested for three months to settle concerns by some states before considering signing the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU) as a block. Rwanda and Kenya had signed, but the objections to the EPA were led by Tanzania. The agreement was expected to be signed …
Read More »EU calls for calm as Gabon descends into ‘deep crisis’
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini called for all sides in Gabon to reject violence as the country descends into chaos following presidential elections. “The official announcement of results has plunged Gabon into a deep crisis,” Mogherini said in a statement. “It is important for …
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