Tag: Europe

• Wednesday, October 17th 2018 - 08:18 UTC

  Brexit summit: “no ground for optimism”, says Tusk; “stand together and firm” PM May tells cabinet

  

  Donald Tusk has poured cold water on hopes of a Brexit breakthrough at Wednesday's EU summit, saying the Irish border was still a sticking point. The European Council president said he had “no grounds for optimism” it would be solved at the summit and called on Theresa May to come up with “concrete proposals” to break the “impasse”.

• Thursday, October 11th 2018 - 08:54 UTC

  International tourism industry remains robust with 6% increase in first six months of 2018

  

  According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)’s latest barometer, international tourist arrivals grew 6% in the first six months of 2018 after a record year of growth in 2017. All world regions enjoyed robust growth in tourist arrivals in January-June 2018. The increase was fueled by strong demand from major source markets, supported by an upswing in the global economy. It comes after record year-round growth of 7% in 2017.

• Monday, October 8th 2018 - 08:39 UTC

  Canada chairs meeting to reform WTO, but has not invited US or China

  

  Canada has not invited the United States or China to a high-level meeting on reforming the World Trade Organization (WTO). The country will host a “small group of like-minded” trade ministers in Ottawa in late October to discuss the global trade body. Officials say countries like the US and China will be included at a later date in the reforms discussion process.

• Friday, October 5th 2018 - 08:34 UTC

  Facebook facing potential £1.2bn fine for a data breach affecting 50 million users

  

  Facebook is facing a potential £1.2bn fine for a data breach which allowed hackers to access the personal information of 50 million users. The Irish Data Protection Commission (IDPC), the lead supervising authority for Facebook in the EU, officially opened its investigation this week after the social media giant admitted hackers could have accessed the accounts of millions of users through a “vulnerability” last Friday.

• Thursday, October 4th 2018 - 08:23 UTC

  Juncker insists the EU wants a deal with the UK, despite all the bitter exchanges

  

  European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has issued a fresh warning to Theresa May that there must be agreement on the Irish border if she wants a Brexit deal.

• Thursday, October 4th 2018 - 08:16 UTC

  EU drafting new partnership terms with UK, including the Ireland border issue

  

  Unworkable”, “unacceptable”, “impasse”, are some of the words used to describe Brexit talks between Britain and the European Union do little to temper concerns that the two are heading for a chaotic divorce. But behind the scenes, both sides are preparing concessions as part of what one British official called “a constructive dialogue” that could yet lead to a deal.

• Wednesday, October 3rd 2018 - 18:15 UTC

  Against hunger and for peace, EU and FAO are “committed to build a sustainable future”

  

  The European Union (EU) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reaffirmed today at an event held in Rome their commitment to jointly address the challenges they share at the global level, such as stopping the increase in hunger, promote prosperity and peace, and build a more sustainable future for all.

• Friday, September 28th 2018 - 08:23 UTC

  EC calls for calm as deadline for a possible UK withdrawal enters critical phase

  

  A spokesman for the European Commission said calmness not drama was needed during the critical end phase of negotiating a withdrawal agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom.

• Saturday, September 22nd 2018 - 08:47 UTC

  New battle front for Brexit: revocation of Article 50 addressed to the European Court

  

  The European Court will be asked if the UK can unilaterally revoke its Article 50 request to leave the European Union, following a “bombshell” ruling from Scotland’s highest court. In what campaigners described as a “case that could decide the fate of the nation”, the Court of Session in Edinburgh announced it would refer the question on to the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU).

• Friday, September 21st 2018 - 08:55 UTC

  Dead end for Brexit/Salzburg discussions; October “moment of truth” for an agreement

  

  Theresa May's proposed new economic partnership with the EU “will not work”, the head of the European Council has said. Speaking at the end for an EU summit in Salzburg where leaders of the 27 remaining member states discussed Brexit, Donald Tusk said the plans risked undermining the EU's single market.