The Irish government has nominated Mairead McGuinness and Andrew McDowell to become its next EU trade commissioner. Phil Hogan resigned from the job last month after he faced accusations of breaching Covid-19 guidelines. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had asked the government to nominate one male and one female candidate. Both candidates are “of the […]
Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has urged the UN to help halt the authorities’ crackdown on protesters. She said the options should include UN sanctions targeting individuals close to Alexander Lukashenko, who she said was “desperately clinging to power”. On Friday police in Minsk arrested five university students who were in a group singing a […]
The British government came under more pressure over its post-transition Brexit plans on Friday after the logistics industry slammed “significant gaps” in preparations, warning that trade will be “severely disrupted” unless issues are addressed. Eight organisations representing freight transport and storage companies have called for urgent talks with senior government ministers to discuss funding, IT […]
Russian scientists have published the first report on their coronavirus vaccine, saying early tests showed signs of an immune response. The report published by medical journal The Lancet said every participant developed antibodies to fight the virus and had no serious side effects. Russia licensed the vaccine for local use in August, the first country […]
Some French local authorities are being forced to revise orders making mouth and nose coverings compulsory as courts side with civil liberties groups. A court in Lyon ruled on Friday that making face masks mandatory in all public spaces in Lyon and neighbouring Villeurbanne constituted a “serious and illegal infringement” of citizens’ liberties. It added that health authorities have […]
The European Commission has today launched a public consultation on its future Action Plan on Organic Farming. This sector will play an important role in achieving the European Green Deal ambition, and reaching the objectives set out in the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies. It is a priority for the Commission to ensure that the organic […]
€650 million made available to the Polish Ministry of Finance to support the country’s efforts in combating the pandemic The aim is to strengthen Poland’s emergency response system and pandemic preparedness, with a focus on health and civil protection The EIB will be able to finance eligible projects fully rather than its standard maximum of […]
The Commission announced today that a total of €677 million will be granted to 436 laureates of the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grants competition. As part of the EU’s Research and Innovation programme, Horizon 2020, the grants will help early-career researchers build their own teams and carry out innovative projects across all scientific disciplines: from vaccine research […]
Italy’s former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, aged 83, has spent a night in hospital in Milan for checks after testing positive for the coronavirus. His right-wing Forza Italia party said his condition was not a cause for concern, and “he is fine”. The media tycoon and two of his children tested positive for the virus […]
The man who exposed many dubious deals involving top football clubs, agents and players in the “Football Leaks” case is going on trial in Portugal. Rui Pinto, 31, describes himself as a “whistleblower” rather than a “hacker”, saying he acted to expose corruption in football. Millions of documents were leaked, triggering legal inquiries. Some of […]
