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 …
Read More »Apple on firm financial footing as EU tax bill hits
San Francisco, United States | AFP | A multi-billion-dollar tax bill imposed by the European Union could bruise Apple’s image more than its finances, which remain solid even as the trend-setting company looks for the next big thing. Analysts interviewed by AFP saw Apple as being in position to fend …
Read More »EU, EAC trade conundrum
Barely eight weeks to the October 01 deadline for the East African Community (EAC) to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU), one would expect the regional bloc to be handling the issue with a degree of urgency. Apart from Kenya, the rest of the member …
Read More »Britain ‘may never’ trigger EU divorce
Britain “may never” trigger the formal divorce process with the EU despite last week’s referendum in which the country voted to leave, EU diplomats said Sunday. “My personal belief is they will never notify” the EU about their intention to leave, a senior EU diplomat said on condition of anonymity. …
Read More »From Grexit to Brexit: Eurosceptics claim their -exit
Paris, FRANCE | AFP | It started with “Grexit” — the long trumpeted but never realised axing of Greece from the European Union. It was then reborn as “Brexit” as Britain started down the — this time voluntary — path of leaving the bloc. The “-exit” formulation was coined by …
Read More »What is Article 50? The key to Brexit
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | It consists of just five short, vaguely worded paragraphs, but Article 50 of the European Union’s 2007 Lisbon Treaty will decide how Britain leaves — and it is already causing problems. The short section buried in the laws that govern the EU has never been …
Read More »Brexit bloodbath: David Cameron throws in towel
BREAKING NEWS: Prime Minister David Cameron announced Friday he will resign after Britons voted to leave the EU in defiance of his warnings of economic pain. Cameron promised to try to “steady the ship” over the next months but said a new leader should be installed by early October. “I …
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