The coming days in the Brexit negotiations will be “decisive” as to whether Britain and the EU are able to agree on a free trade deal, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.
After Pope Francis urged “solidarity”, German Chancellor Angela Merkel demands the distribution of controversial coronavirus vaccines among poorer nations. Her appeal comes as countries rush to start with coronavirus vaccinations before Christmas, despite fresh concerns they impact people’s behavior and DNA.
While still trying to reach a post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union, the United Kingdom has been able to agree to an interim trade deal with Canada, Fox News reports. The agreement offers a source of business security for Britain, which must reach an agreement with the EU by the end of the post-Brexit transition period on 31 December or move instead into World Trade Organization terms with the European trading bloc.
Hungary, where believers suffered under communism, has praised “the Trump administration” for raising the issue of persecuted Christians amid concerns about terror attacks.
European Union leaders argued at a summit Thursday over Poland and Hungary’s attempts to block the passage of the EU budget and coronavirus rescue package.
Pro-western opposition candidate Maia Sandu has won Moldova’s presidential election after a run-off vote against incumbent Igor Dodon, who was openly supported by Russia.
Hungary and Poland blocked approval of the European Union’s 1.8 trillion-euro ($2.1 trillion) budget and coronavirus rescue package after accusing the bloc of interfering in their domestic affairs.
The U.K.’s chief Brexit negotiator said Sunday before renewed talks that a trade deal with the European Union may not succeed, but he was still hopeful of a resolution.
Hungary’s authoritarian prime minister asked the army to help enforce a nightly curfew while introducing constitutional changes that critics said were meant to keep him in power. Viktor Orbán claimed the military was needed to maintain order during a coronavirus state of emergency that allows him to rule by decree.
Hungary’s government has proposed a constitutional amendment defending “the order of Creation” that would require children to be raised according to Christian principles and bans adoption by same-sex couples.
Hungary’s controversial prime minister has introduced a nationwide curfew and other strict measures to halt the coronavirus pandemic citing a massive increase in deaths and hospitalizations across Europe.
Stalled post-Brexit trade deal talks have resumed once again as British and European Union negotiators convened in London Monday, the Washington Times reports. Recent talks in Brussels left the two sides still far apart on the way forward following the UK’s official departure from the EU trading bloc in January. The parties have until December 31 to agree a trade deal before the post-Brexit transition period comes to an end. Hundreds of thousands of jobs on both sides may be lost in the event of a “no-deal Brexit.”
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is urging fellow European leaders to form a common front against what some leaders call “political Islam.”
Kosovo’s President Hashim Thaci remained in detention in the Dutch city of The Hague on Friday, after resigning to face war crimes charges.
Kosovo President Hashim Thaci said Thursday he had resigned because a special court at The Hague indicted him for war crimes.
As the UK veers towards the January 1 deadline for agreeing on a post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union, the EU’s chief negotiator said London was to blame for the two parties’ failure to reach even a basic agreement so far, the Washington Examiner reported Wednesday. Hundreds of thousands of jobs may be lost on both sides if no deal is agreed within the year-long transition period triggered when Britain officially left the EU trading bloc in January.
A mother and three of her children were pulled out of a building’s rubble in the western Turkish city of Izmir some 23 hours after a powerful earthquake in the Aegean Sea killed dozens of people.
Two of Europe’s biggest economies are reinstating some form of national lockdown. France and Germany’s measures are due to be followed in other nations as authorities warn of a surge in coronavirus cases and deaths.
Poland’s prime minister has condemned “pro-choice” protestors who disrupt church services and block roads to express anger over a court ruling that severely restricts abortions.
Thousands of people blocked roads across Poland on Monday after fellow activists interrupted church services to protest against a court’s near-total ban on abortion.