By , MINSK/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Hundreds of Belarusian protesters gathered in Minsk on Wednesday evening, defying a new order from President Alexander Lukashenko to his police to clear the streets of the capital after a week and a half of rallies against his rule.Holding an emergency summit on the crisis, the European Union rejected Lukashenko’s re-election in a disputed vote on Aug. 9 and announced financial sanctions against officials the bloc blames for election fraud and the abuse of protesters.“This is about the Belarusian people and their legitimate right to determine the future path...…By , MINSK/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Hundreds of Belarusian protesters gathered in Minsk on Wednesday evening, defying a new order from President Alexander Lukashenko to his police to clear the streets of the capital after a week and a half of rallies against his rule.Holding an emergency summit on the crisis, the European Union rejected Lukashenko’s re-election in a disputed vote on Aug. 9 and announced financial sanctions against officials the bloc blames for election fraud and the abuse of protesters.“This is about the Belarusian people and their legitimate right to determine the future path...WW…

By , MINSK/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Hundreds of Belarusian protesters gathered in Minsk on Wednesday evening, defying a new order from President Alexander Lukashenko to his police to clear the streets of the capital after a week and a half of rallies against his rule.Holding an emergency summit on the crisis, the European Union rejected Lukashenko’s re-election in a disputed vote on Aug. 9 and announced financial sanctions against officials the bloc blames for election fraud and the abuse of protesters.“This is about the Belarusian people and their legitimate right to determine the future path...…By , MINSK/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Hundreds of Belarusian protesters gathered in Minsk on Wednesday evening, defying a new order from President Alexander Lukashenko to his police to clear the streets of the capital after a week and a half of rallies against his rule.Holding an emergency summit on the crisis, the European Union rejected Lukashenko’s re-election in a disputed vote on Aug. 9 and announced financial sanctions against officials the bloc blames for election fraud and the abuse of protesters.“This is about the Belarusian people and their legitimate right to determine the future path...WW…

By , BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU leaders stood at an impasse on Monday after three days of haggling over a plan to revive economies throttled by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the chairman of their near-record-length summit urged them to make one last push on “mission impossible”.Charles Michel reminded the 27 leaders of the European Union that more than 600,000 people had now died as a result of the coronavirus around the world, and it was up to them to stand together in the face of an unprecedented crisis.“My hope is that we reach an agreement and that the headline ... tomorrow is that the EU has...…By , BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU leaders stood at an impasse on Monday after three days of haggling over a plan to revive economies throttled by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the chairman of their near-record-length summit urged them to make one last push on “mission impossible”.Charles Michel reminded the 27 leaders of the European Union that more than 600,000 people had now died as a result of the coronavirus around the world, and it was up to them to stand together in the face of an unprecedented crisis.“My hope is that we reach an agreement and that the headline ... tomorrow is that the EU has...WW…

By , BRUSSELS (Reuters) - It took a courtroom of scarlet-robed judges to spur Angela Merkel to make one of her boldest moves in 15 years as German chancellor: propose huge cash handouts to the European Union’s weaker economies.Merkel was already worried about the future of the Union after the coronavirus pandemic struck Europe in February, triggering a wave of deaths and crippling lockdowns.But it was Germany’s own Constitutional Court that tipped her hand, sources said. Its bombshell ruling on May 5 challenged the EU’s reliance on European Central Bank (ECB) money-printing to keep its...…By , BRUSSELS (Reuters) - It took a courtroom of scarlet-robed judges to spur Angela Merkel to make one of her boldest moves in 15 years as German chancellor: propose huge cash handouts to the European Union’s weaker economies.Merkel was already worried about the future of the Union after the coronavirus pandemic struck Europe in February, triggering a wave of deaths and crippling lockdowns.But it was Germany’s own Constitutional Court that tipped her hand, sources said. Its bombshell ruling on May 5 challenged the EU’s reliance on European Central Bank (ECB) money-printing to keep its...WW…

By , , BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union threatened on Wednesday to ban exports of COVID-19 vaccines to Britain to safeguard scarce doses for its own citizens facing a third wave of the pandemic that would jeopardise plans to restart travel this summer.With the number of COVID-related deaths in the EU topping 550,000 and less than a 10th of the bloc’s population inoculated, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said the epidemiological situation was worsening.“We are in the crisis of the century,” she told reporters.“We see the crest of a third wave forming in member states,...…By , , BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union threatened on Wednesday to ban exports of COVID-19 vaccines to Britain to safeguard scarce doses for its own citizens facing a third wave of the pandemic that would jeopardise plans to restart travel this summer.With the number of COVID-related deaths in the EU topping 550,000 and less than a 10th of the bloc’s population inoculated, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said the epidemiological situation was worsening.“We are in the crisis of the century,” she told reporters.“We see the crest of a third wave forming in member states,...WW…

By BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Germany is the top target of Russian disinformation campaigns in the European Union, a report said on Tuesday, as ties between Moscow and the West hit new lows over the poisoning and jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.Slideshow The EU’s disinformation watchdog, which is run by the bloc’s External Action Service, said in the report it had documented 700 cases of deliberately fake or misleading reporting that aimed to spread disinformation about Germany since launching a tracking database in late 2015.That compares to more than 300 cases for France, over 170 for...…By BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Germany is the top target of Russian disinformation campaigns in the European Union, a report said on Tuesday, as ties between Moscow and the West hit new lows over the poisoning and jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.Slideshow The EU’s disinformation watchdog, which is run by the bloc’s External Action Service, said in the report it had documented 700 cases of deliberately fake or misleading reporting that aimed to spread disinformation about Germany since launching a tracking database in late 2015.That compares to more than 300 cases for France, over 170 for...WW…

By , LONDON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - British lawmakers approved Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union on Wednesday, as both sides looked to begin a new chapter of relations just days before their divorce becomes a reality.Britain and the European Union signed the deal on Wednesday and the British parliament will finalise its implementation, ending over four years of negotiation and safeguarding nearly a $1 trillion of annual trade.Both sides said it was a chance to begin a new chapter in a relationship forged as Europe rebuilt after World War Two, but...…By , LONDON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - British lawmakers approved Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union on Wednesday, as both sides looked to begin a new chapter of relations just days before their divorce becomes a reality.Britain and the European Union signed the deal on Wednesday and the British parliament will finalise its implementation, ending over four years of negotiation and safeguarding nearly a $1 trillion of annual trade.Both sides said it was a chance to begin a new chapter in a relationship forged as Europe rebuilt after World War Two, but...WW…

By , BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Britain and the European Union appeared close to clinching a long-elusive trade agreement on Wednesday, raising hopes that they were now set to avoid a turbulent economic rupture on New Year’s Day.A senior British government source said Prime Minister Boris Johnson was poised to do a trade deal with the EU, after media reports said the agreement had already been done, just over a week before Britain completes its journey out of the bloc.But there was no official confirmation from either side that the months of negotiations had reached a conclusion.A source at the...…By , BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Britain and the European Union appeared close to clinching a long-elusive trade agreement on Wednesday, raising hopes that they were now set to avoid a turbulent economic rupture on New Year’s Day.A senior British government source said Prime Minister Boris Johnson was poised to do a trade deal with the EU, after media reports said the agreement had already been done, just over a week before Britain completes its journey out of the bloc.But there was no official confirmation from either side that the months of negotiations had reached a conclusion.A source at the...WW…

By , LONDON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain insisted on Sunday that the European Union should shift position to open the way to a post-Brexit trade pact, drawing a swift response from the bloc’s negotiator defending the union’s right to protect its interests.Negotiations are expected to continue on Monday, beyond a Sunday deadline set by the European Parliament, and a senior British government source described them as “difficult” because of the “significant differences” in position.With less than two weeks before Britain leaves the EU’s orbit, both sides are calling on the other to move to...…By , LONDON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain insisted on Sunday that the European Union should shift position to open the way to a post-Brexit trade pact, drawing a swift response from the bloc’s negotiator defending the union’s right to protect its interests.Negotiations are expected to continue on Monday, beyond a Sunday deadline set by the European Parliament, and a senior British government source described them as “difficult” because of the “significant differences” in position.With less than two weeks before Britain leaves the EU’s orbit, both sides are calling on the other to move to...WW…

By , BRUSSELS/LONDON (Reuters) - European Union diplomats warned Britain on Monday that time was fast running out for a Brexit deal, and that it may already be too late to ratify one, as negotiators in Brussels began a last-ditch attempt to avoid a tumultuous exit at the end of December.Slideshow Almost five years since the Brexit referendum campaign began, Britain and the EU have still not worked out how nearly $1 trillion in trade per year will operate once Britain leaves a status quo transition arrangement on Dec. 31.Britain, which left the EU in January, called on the EU to show “more...…By , BRUSSELS/LONDON (Reuters) - European Union diplomats warned Britain on Monday that time was fast running out for a Brexit deal, and that it may already be too late to ratify one, as negotiators in Brussels began a last-ditch attempt to avoid a tumultuous exit at the end of December.Slideshow Almost five years since the Brexit referendum campaign began, Britain and the EU have still not worked out how nearly $1 trillion in trade per year will operate once Britain leaves a status quo transition arrangement on Dec. 31.Britain, which left the EU in January, called on the EU to show “more...WW…