Some 60 people are missing and believed drowned after the dinghy they were on sank off Libya, the International Organization for Migration said Friday, citing survivor testimony. The inflatable had been carrying 140-150 people including women when it began taking on water five hours after setting off from North Africa on Monday, according to 80 … Read more
President Emmanuel Macron is due in Mali on Sunday to consolidate Western backing for a regional anti-jihadist force, as France beefs up its counter-terror operations in the area. The so-called “G5 Sahel” countries just south of the Sahara — Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger — have pledged to fight jihadists on their own … Read more
The White House envoy coordinating the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group was holding talks in Ankara on Friday a day after visiting a Syrian Kurdish militia deemed by Turkey to be “terrorists”. The visit by Brett McGurk, which was not announced in advance, comes a month after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called … Read more
The United States on Thursday accused Iran of “repeatedly and deliberately” violating a UN resolution that endorsed the landmark 2015 nuclear deal and said the Security Council had failed to respond. US Ambassador Nikki Haley pointed to “repeated ballistic missile launches, proven arms smuggling”, purchases of missile technology and a violations of a travel ban … Read more
European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker dispatched the EU’s top trade officials to Tokyo Thursday for crucial talks to seal a long-awaited deal with Japan. After four years of talks the two sides are working toward signing a deal at a G20 meeting in Hamburg next week, but Juncker said further work was needed. “There are … Read more
Women and children involved with groups like Islamic State are increasingly returning to their home countries in Europe, with some posing a terror risk, a senior EU official said Thursday. The “new trend” of females and juveniles coming back from Middle East war zones means European countries must find special methods of dealing with them, … Read more
Ghana has lost $10 million following the ban on five vegetable exports to the European market. Poor inspection of infested vegetables was blamed for the ban. Having put in place a lab and a traceability system, the Ghana Export Promotion Council said it expects the ban will be lifted by September 21. Moth and insects infected … Read more
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday that Europe was “more determined than ever” to fight climate change after President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris agreement. Speaking to the German parliament a week before hosting a G20 summit, Merkel called global warming an “existential challenge” for humanity and stressed that the … Read more
Italy has threatened to close its ports to aid groups rescuing migrants off Libya’s coast as it struggles to cope with the highest rate of rescues this year, officials said. The country’s representative to the EU, Maurizio Massari, said the situation ‘has become unsustainable’ as it emerged 10,000 refugees have tried to cross the Mediterranean in … Read more
A deal on cutting nearly $600 million from the UN peacekeeping budget was reached Wednesday following weeks of negotiations over US demands for sharp cost reductions, UN diplomats said. Under the deal reached by a General Assembly budget committee, the United Nations will spend $7.3 billion on peacekeeping in the coming year, down from the … Read more
A prominent Vietnamese blogger known as ‘Mother Mushroom’ went on trial Thursday for anti-state propaganda, a court clerk said, as rights groups decried the charges as “outrageous” and demanded her immediate release. Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, whose penname derives from her daughter’s nickname “mushroom”, was arrested in October 2016 for critical Facebook posts about politics … Read more
The euro extended its run higher against the dollar Wednesday, hitting a one-year high, while tech and bank stocks helped Wall Street reverse a sell-off in the prior session. The euro rose close to the key $1.14 level, reaching $1.1391 at one point, its highest level in a year. Analysts said the foreign exchange market … Read more
President Akufo-Addo, has urged African leaders to hasten the coming into being of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) to boost the development of economies on the continent. According to President Akufo-Addo, “if we remain resolute and see to its realisation, we will obtain a major boost to the development of our economies, and a … Read more
The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has urged African leaders to hasten the coming into being of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA). According to President Akufo-Addo, “if we remain resolute and see to its realisation, we will obtain a major boost to the development of our economies, and a considerable reduction … Read more
Japan and the European Union are at a crucial moment in their attempt to sign a free trade deal, Japan’s foreign minister said Wednesday, with tariffs on European cheese a key sticking point. The comments from Fumio Kishida come after four years of talks, with negotiators working toward signing a deal at a G20 meeting … Read more
Wall Street stocks took a hit Tuesday as a key vote on President Donald Trump’s health care reform was delayed, while the euro rallied following upbeat comments from European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi. High-flying technology stocks were among the biggest losers in the US, with the Nasdaq finishing down 1.6 percent, more than the … Read more
President Donald Trump’s pullout from the Paris climate accord has triggered a bipartisan push from US mayors to stick to the emissions cuts Washington had pledged to hit, a US official said Tuesday. The mayor of southern US city Atlanta, Kasim Reed, said he wanted to send a signal of “optimism, passion and action” on … Read more
Google has been fined 2.42bn euros ($2.7bn; £2.1bn) by the European Commission after it ruled the company had abused its power by promoting its own shopping comparison service at the top of search results. The amount is the regulator’s largest penalty to date against a company accused of distorting the market. The ruling also orders … Read more
Mr Carlos Ahenkorah, a Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, has challenged the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) to take decisive action to deal with current difficulties in the export sector to enhance growth. Speaking at a three-day retreat to strategies on effective service delivery for GEPA, Mr Ahenkorah said the many hindrances to exports … Read more
Google has been fined 2.42bn euros ($2.7bn; £2.1bn) by the European Commission after it ruled the company had abused its power by promoting its own shopping comparison service at the top of search results. The amount is the regulator’s largest penalty to date against a company accused of distorting the market. The ruling also orders … Read more