Tag Archives: European Union

The BBC reports: Ambassadors from around the world have called for the rights of gay and transgender people to be respected in Poland, where many towns have declared themselves free of “LGBT ideology”. An open letter released on Sunday urges the Polish government to “end discrimination” of sexual minorities. It was signed by envoys from 50 countries, including Poland’s EU …

Reuters reports: Britain and the European Union held emergency talks on Thursday over Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan to undercut parts of the Brexit divorce treaty, with Brussels exploring possible legal action against London. European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic expressed concern about the plan before a meeting with British counterpart Michael Gove in London, taking place alongside trade talks …

Politico Europe reports: U.K. government plans to backtrack on the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement will break international law, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis told the House of Commons Tuesday. The Financial Times reported Monday that sections of the Internal Market Bill, due to be published Wednesday, will override sections of the divorce deal Prime Minister Boris Johnson struck with the EU …

Business Insider reports: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to overwrite key parts of the Brexit withdrawal deal he agreed with the EU last year as he insists that leaving all existing trade arrangements without a fresh deal at the end of the year would be a “good outcome” for Britain. The prime minister intends to “eliminate the legal force …

NPR reports: The European Union will bar U.S. travelers from visiting when the bloc begins opening its external borders on July 1. EU ambassadors endorsed a list of 15 travel partners on Tuesday, including South Korea, Japan and China – countries that were hit early by the pandemic but have been able to bring the coronavirus under control. The 15 …

Thanks to Glorious Leader, you’re now banned: The European Union will bar most travelers from the United States, Russia, and dozens of other countries considered too risky because they have not controlled the coronavirus outbreak, E.U. officials said Friday. By contrast, travelers from more than a dozen countries that are not overwhelmed by the coronavirus will be welcomed when the …

The New York Times reports: European Union countries rushing to revive their economies and reopen their borders after months of coronavirus restrictions are prepared to block Americans from entering because the United States has failed to control the scourge, according to draft lists of acceptable travelers seen by The New York Times. That prospect, which would lump American visitors in …

Politico Europe reports: Angela Merkel has rebuffed Donald Trump’s invitation to attend a G7 summit, which the U.S. president is keen to portray as a symbol of a return to normality from the upheaval of the coronavirus crisis. “The federal chancellor thanks President Trump for his invitation to the G7 summit at the end of June in Washington. As of …

Reuters reports: Billionaire financier George Soros said the European Union could break apart in the wake of the new coronavirus pandemic unless the block issued perpetual bonds to help weak members such as Italy. Soros, 89, said the damage to the euro zone economy from the new coronavirus would last “longer than most people think”, adding that the rapid evolution …

ABC News reports: World leaders, organizations and banks on Monday pledged 7.4 billion euros ($8 billion) for research to find a vaccine against the new coronavirus, but warned that it is just the start of an effort that must be sustained over time to beat the disease. The funds, pledged at a video-conference summit hosted by the European Union, fell …

Courthouse News reports: An Italian lawyer who was sued after talking on the radio about his aversion to hiring gay people failed Thursday to secure relief from the EU’s highest court. “Homosexuals are abnormal, they have physical and genetic anomalies,” lawyer Carlo Taormina had said in a 2013 broadcast of the Italian shock jock radio program “La Zanzara.” Taormina went …

Agence France-Presse reports: The EU agreed on Friday to suspend requirements that oblige airlines to use at least 80% of their take-off and landing slots in order to keep them the following year until Oct. 24 due to the aviation industry crisis unleashed by coronavirus. “This slot waiver will provide the necessary flexibility and certainty for our aviation industry in …

Reuters reports: Alphabet Inc’s YouTube said on Friday it will reduce its streaming quality in the European Union to avert internet gridlock as thousands of Europeans, constrained by the coronavirus outbreak, switch to working from home. YouTube is the second company after Netflix to act after EU industry chief Thierry Breton urged streaming platforms to cut the quality of their …

CNN reports: The European Union is urging Netflix and other streaming platforms to stop showing video in high definition to prevent the internet from breaking under the strain of unprecedented usage due to the coronavirus pandemic. With so many countries on forced lockdowns to fight the spread of the virus, hundreds of millions working from home and even more children …

The Associated Press reports: Strict new controls to slow the spread of the coronavirus froze traffic at global borders Tuesday, idling trucks in columns more than 30 miles long at some European crossings, while masked security officers turned back travelers at others. The moves by officials bent on protecting their citizens raised new questions about how to maintain supplies of …

Politico Europe reports: Brussels has entered into an ill-tempered diplomatic skirmish between Germany and the U.S. over a company that is developing a vaccine against coronavirus. CureVac, a company based in the German town of Tübingen, hit the headlines over the weekend when Germany’s Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported that U.S. President Donald Trump was attempting to snatch up exclusive …

Business Insider reports: The European Union will restrict all nonessential travel into the region for at least 30 days, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday. Only essential travel will be allowed for at least a month once the plan is approved by European leaders. “The less travel, the more we can contain the virus,” von der …

The BBC reports: The UK has officially left the European Union after 47 years of membership – and more than three years after it voted to do so in a referendum. The historic moment, which happened at 23:00 GMT, was marked by both celebrations and anti-Brexit protests. Candlelit vigils were held in Scotland, which voted to stay in the EU, …

A Brexit battle has unfolded on Britain’s pop charts: Comedian Dominic Frisby is in a singles chart race as the UK prepares to leave the European Union. On the eve of the UK’s multiple-times-delayed exit from the bloc, he is currently sitting at both number 2 and number 3 in download singles charts with different versions of the same song, …

The European Review reports: A new survey has found that 87 percent of pharmacists are concerned about the supply of medicines to the UK after Brexit on 31 January. Conducted by Medicspot and supported by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), the findings show that 84 percent of pharmacists believe that their pharmacy will be impacted by the UK’s departure from …