Divided EU leaves action against Israel on Gaza ‘on table,’ if humanitarian situation does not improve
The measures range from suspending the entire accord or curbing trade ties to sanctioning Israeli ministers, imposing an arms embargo and halting visa-free travel.
European Education Area to take EU-UAE learning cooperation to the next level, says top official
It will open opportunities for Emirati youth to study in European Union, further strengthening the existing people-to-people ties, adds Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President of the European Commission for “Promoting Our European Way of Life”, who was on an official trip to the UAE.Faroe Islands renew fishing quota deal with Russia
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - Denmark's autonomous Faroe Islands have renewed a fishing quota deal with Russia for one year despite Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, a local minister said on Saturday. "The Faroe Islands are totally right to extend their existing fishing agreement with Russia," the North Atlantic archipelago's minister of fisheries...GCC renews commitment to strengthen ties with EU
Manama, Bahrain—The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has stressed the importance of strengthening ties between the GCC and the European Union (EU) in order to "serve common interests." The Secretary-General of GCC, Dr. Naif Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf, met with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in the...European Film Festival commences at Haya Cultural Center in Amman
Amman, Jordan— Intended to open up a space for intercultural cooperation, the 34th edition of the European Film Festival (EUFF) began at the Haya Cultural Center in Amman. Speaking at the opening ceremony, EU Ambassador to Jordan Maria Hadjitheodosiou said the 34th edition of the European Film Festival, the longest-running...EU to shore up Tunisia economy with US$100m grant
In order to shore up its economy battered by the Covid pandemic and political turmoil, the EU has signed off on a $103 million grant to cash-strapped Tunisia. The grant, according to EU, aims to support economic recovery efforts and consolidate the progress already made in distributing social aid.Germany says EU will adopt new sanctions against Iran
Designed as a punishment for the government of Iran, the EU will likely adopt new sanctions against the Islamic republic next week over its deadly crackdown on protests in the country. The German foreign minister said that the bloc will not let up and that "it stands with the men...EU presidency says sanctions may next target Belarus
The Czech prime minister, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said the bloc may look at sanctions on Belarus over its role in the war in Ukraine. Minsk allows Russian troops to be stationed in Belarus and stage attacks on Ukraine from there, though it insists it does not...Europe’s gas storage reserves now at over 90 percent
With prices falling and ports clogged with liquefied natural gas tankers, fears of a winter heating crisis in Europe have eased but experts are warning against complacency. For over a week now, there have been bottlenecks at Spanish ports of ships bringing in LNG, indicating Europe is at full capacity.Ukraine blames Russian blockade for making grain export ‘impossible’
Russia's blockade of grain exports makes it "impossible" for fully loaded ships to leave port, Ukraine charged after Moscow claimed drone attacks on its Crimea fleet had exploited the grain corridor safe zone. Kyiv's maritime grain exports were halted after Russia pulled out of a landmark agreement that allowed the...Most markets up but China fear casts shadow
Most markets rose on hopes the Federal Reserve would soon slow its pace of interest rate hikes, though the mood was darkened over China after President Xi Jinping tightened his grip on power. The yen weakened against the dollar after a short rally after speculation Japanese authorities had stepped into...Eurozone downturn deepens as Germany heads for recession
Economic activity in the eurozone plummeted further in October and Germany, the EU's top economy, looks headed for a recession, a closely watched survey showed Monday.Morocco and EU sign ‘green partnership’ deal
Aiming to bolster cooperation on renewable energy, Morocco and the European Union have signed a "green partnership" deal in order to offer alternatives for European nations that are trying to wean themselves off fossil fuels, whose prices have soared in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.Markets climb on bright US earnings, UK policy U-turns
Major global equities rose, with sentiment soothed after upbeat US earnings and Britain shredded its controversial budget. Analysts pointed to better-than-expected reports from Goldman Sachs and Johnson & Johnson as a positive driver for stocks. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones jumped two percent after a day of strong trading...Will immediately respond to new EU sanctions, says Iran
Iran vowed an "immediate" response to the European Union as it prepares new sanctions on the Islamic republic after over a month of protests sparked by Mahsa Amini's death. EU foreign ministers met to adopt sanctions on Iran after Amini was detained for allegedly breaching Iran's strict dress code for...US climate spending could spark tariff war, says Scholz
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized US climate protection plans that would shield domestic companies from foreign competition, saying they could trigger "a huge tariff war". Unease has been growing abroad about US President Joe Biden's landmark "Inflation Reduction Act", which includes tax breaks for US-made electric cars and batteries.French PM leads delegation to Algeria as ties improve
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne starts a visit to Algeria with a top-level delegation, pushing for better ties with the former French colony and major gas exporter. Her two-day trip along with 16 ministers comes just six weeks after President Emmanuel Macron concluded a three-day visit aimed at ending months...EU leaders try for common response to energy crisis
EU leaders meeting in Prague looked to bridge divisions on how to tackle soaring energy prices as they grapple with the fallout from Russia's war on Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky was dialling in from Kyiv as the bloc looks to maintain its economic and military support for Ukraine and hold...EU decides to cut power use, levy energy firms
The EU executive believes it can raise €140 billion from the levies on non-gas electricity producers and on energy majors that are raking in outsized profits from the global energy demand.EU proposes new sanctions on Russian exports
The EU's executive proposed a new round of sanctions on Moscow over its latest "escalation" in Ukraine, including an oil price cap and ban on Russian exports worth $7 billion. It also plans to expand its travel blacklist and asset freezes to include high-ranking Russian officials and organizers of the...EU to support Iraq in boosting economic activity in five sectors
The European Union has shown interest to be part of the process of decentralization in Iraq and in this regard it is working in partnership with the Iraqi ministry of planning and other bodies in order to enhance activity in five sectors of the economy.‘More efforts needed for net zero carbon emissions by 2050’
More efforts are required to make the world reach net zero emissions by mid-century, according to the International Energy Agency's (IEA) latest appraisal of global progress on clean energy technologies.61 dead in migrant shipwreck off Syria coast, says Lebanon
At least 61 migrants drowned when a boat they boarded in Lebanon sank off Syria's coast, a Lebanese minister said, the deadliest such shipwreck from Lebanon in recent years.‘Hungary wants EU sanctions on Russia lifted by year end’
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wants EU sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine lifted by year end, a pro-government daily newspaper said. Orban, who has sought close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent years, has frequently railed against the sanctions, saying they are hurting Europe more...Europe throws billions at energy crisis
Hundreds of billions of euros and counting have been shelled out so far since Russia invaded its pro-Western neighbor in late February. Governments have gone all out: from capping gas and electricity prices to rescuing struggling energy companies and providing direct aid to household to fill up their cars.Putin accuses European Union of blocking Russian fertilizer
Putin accused the European Union of blocking 300,000 tons of Russian fertilizer from reaching the world's poorest countries. "Our offer... to transfer for free 300,000 tons of Russian fertilizer blocked in European ports because of sanctions to countries that need it is still without an answer," he said.European Union pledges €364m in grants to Jordan
The aid packages include supporting human development, civil society, governance, institutional development and green transition.Iran President seeks US guarantees to renew nuclear deal
"We cannot trust the Americans because of the behavior that we have already seen from them. That is why if there is no guarantee, there is no trust," he told CBS News. Former president Barack Obama negotiated the agreement under which Iran drastically scaled back nuclear work in return for...Stocks mostly slide; pound hits 37-year dollar low
Stock markets mostly slumped Friday, while the British pound tanked to a 37-year dollar low as weak UK retail sales stoked global recession fears. Sterling slid to $1.1351, the lowest level since 1985, on news that British retail sales tumbled by far more than forecast in August as shoppers faced...Josep Borrell says Iran nuclear talks in “stalemate”
Less than a month after signs emerged of a possible signing of the nuclear deal, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that negotiations to bring Iran and the US back are in stalemate. He has been the main driver for more than a year to try to revive the...Stock markets rally, as euro briefly surges
Stock markets rallied Monday, building on pre-weekend momentum as investors priced in the expectation of further interest rate hikes aimed at taming decades-high inflation. The euro surged, a day after German central bank chief Joachim Nagel signaled that the European Central Bank (ECB) would probably continue raising its key rate.Norway skeptical about EU proposal on gas price cap
Norway, which has replaced Russia as Europe's leading supplier of natural gas, dashed the hopes of EU member states who wanted a cap on gas prices. After his phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said he was "skeptical" about a...Germany regrets Iran failure to agree to nuclear deal
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Iran has failed to agree to proposals from European countries on reviving a deal on restricting its nuclear program, warning this would derail any accord in the near future. Meanwhile Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid visited Germany to persuade Western powers to ditch the pact...UN urges EU against fossil fuels in energy crisis
The UN urged EU countries on Monday to continue battling climate change and not resort to more fossil fuels in their response to soaring energy prices and fears of winter shortages. Russia has reduced supplies of gas to Europe since its invasion of Ukraine, sending prices for the fuel soaring.Stocks and oil prices rally, as dollar drops
Stock markets and oil prices rallied Friday, with investors largely pricing in more interest rate hikes aimed at taming runaway inflation. The dollar slid one percent versus the pound and euro after recent hefty gains. London's stock market jumped more than 1.5 percent in morning deals, mirroring advances in Paris...Stocks push higher, but yen and euro under pressure
European and US stocks rose Tuesday, but gains were capped by economic slowdown fears and central bank efforts to contain surging inflation. Frankfurt, London and Paris equities carved out gains despite poor German data, a day after tumultuous trading as Russia curbed gas supplies to Europe.Russia sanctions not working, says Italy far-right leader
The leader of Italy's far-right League party, Matteo Salvini, has sparked debate by saying that the unprecedented sanctions the West had imposed on Russia over the Ukraine invasion weren't working. "Several months have passed and people are paying two, three, even four times more for their bills," he told Rtl...Saudi Arabia eases visa rules for GCC, US, UK, EU residents
The regulations came into effect after the minister of tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb signed on a ministerial decree, making it easier to visit the oil-rich kingdom.What can Europe do to fight soaring power bills?
European leaders want to break the link between soaring gas prices and electricity bills, a wholesale reform of the EU energy market made urgent by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This continent-wide shake up of 27 EU economies with different energy needs and sources will be a long and politically-fraught process.EU ministers to look at appeal to ban Russian tourists
Encouraged by Ukraine to ban all Russian tourists from visiting Europe, EU foreign ministers will study the idea in a two-day meeting beginning Tuesday in Prague. Although many have resisted the suggestion fearing it would prevent Russian dissidents from getting out, many have wholeheartedly agreed with it.After six months of war, what’s next for Ukraine?
Russian President Vladimir Putin announces on February 24, 2022 a "special military operation" to protect the Russian-speaking self-declared separatist republics of Lugansk and Donetsk in the east, whose independence he has just recognized. He says he wants to "de-Nazify" Ukraine, a former Soviet state, and demands a guarantee it will...Europe prepares for winter without Russian gas
Many believe Russian President Vladimir Putin is using energy supplies as a strategic weapon to put pressure on nations that have applied sanctions against Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.European nations call closure of Palestinian NGOs ‘not acceptable’
Terming the Israeli closure of seven Palestinian NGOs in the West Bank as not acceptable, the foreign ministries of nine European countries have said they are deeply concerned by a 'worrying reduction' of space for civil society in the territory.Russian gas supply cut: Germany to fall short of gas reserve target
Germany is heavily dependent on Russian gas and has seen deliveries drop sharply amid tensions over the Ukraine war.EU asks for restraint as Gaza violence escalates
The European Union called for maximum restraint in the Gaza Strip's worst escalation of violence since a war last year. "The European Union follows with great concern the latest developments in and around Gaza," a spokesman for EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement.Syrian ship accused of carrying stolen Ukranian grain leaves Lebanon
The Laodicea, which was docked in the northern port of Tripoli, was cleared to leave after investigations failed to prove it carried stolen goods, officials said. It set sail at 8:00 am (0500 GMT), according to Lebanese state media, and was later reported by authorities in Damascus to have arrived...Iran says sending team to resume nuclear talks in Vienna
Negotiations in Vienna began in April 2021 to restore the deal, but have stalled for the past five months amid differences between Tehran and Washington on several issues. The two sides have negotiated indirectly through the European Union coordinator in a bid to bring the US back into the deal...US Fed official sees hope for US and EU to keep recession at bay
A US central bank official still sees hope for the US and EU to avoid recession and achieve a soft landing by bringing inflation down to an acceptable level.Will not be rushed into quick nuclear deal, says Iran
Iran said Monday it will not be rushed into a "quick" deal reviving its faltering 2015 nuclear accord with world powers, as negotiations remain deadlocked. "They demand that Iran makes a quick decision, (insisting that) time is limited and Iran must respond quickly," foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said at...EU’s Official Development Assistance reaches US$71b in 2021
This represents a 4.3 percent increase in nominal terms and the equivalent to 0.49 percent of collective Gross National Income.Euro faces many hurdles on way to recovery against dollar
The euro's plunge against the dollar, triggered by the Ukraine war and mounting risks to the EU economy, has driven the two currencies to parity for the first time in two decades. The European single currency sank to $0.9952 on Thursday -- a level not seen since the end of...