The European Commission has signed a third contract with the pharmaceutical companies BioNTech and Pfizer. It reserves an additional 1.8 billion doses on behalf of all EU Member States, between end 2021 to 2023. It will allow for the purchase of 900 million doses of the current vaccine and of a vaccine adapted to variants,…
Today, cats are hugely popular: you can admire them in all shapes and sizes on the internet and they are one of the most adored of all house pets. But it hasn’t always been that way. So where did this recent and worldwide fascination for these extraordinary creatures come from? That is the mystery that the Yper…
The threat that emerging infectious diseases pose to global health and the economy, trade, and tourism never ceases. Pandemics can spread rapidly around the world due to international aviation and transport, writes Dr. Shih-chung Chen. As of March 2021, a novel form of pneumonia that first emerged in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019…
On 23 April, Brahim Ghali the head of the separatist movement Polisario, was welcomed by Spain to receive treatment in a hospital in Logroño, under a false Algerian identity and with forged papers. He hoped through this subterfuge to escape Spanish justice since he has pending an arrest warrant issued against him in Spain for…
With the international tourism sector set to reopen after the health crisis, a leading ferry operator has moved to provide added protection for travellers. The ferry company DFDS says it will continue to offer its “Travel Guarantee” throughout 2021. This means if plans change because of Covid-19, travellers can re-book a crossing at no extra cost. …
The European Union deplores the publication of Measures in “Response to Unfriendly Actions of Foreign States”, following the unprecedented Decree signed by President Putin on 23 April. The EU considers the allegations of unfriendly actions as unfounded. This Decree is incompatible with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 with regard to the duties…
The airline Emirates has set up a humanitarian airbridge between Dubai and India to transport urgent medical and relief items, to support India in its fight to control the serious COVID-19 situation in the country. Emirates will offer cargo capacity free of charge on an “as available” basis on all of its flights to nine…
The European Union must apply a “tough love” approach to the Sahel, linking continued financial support for Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger to the implementation of long-promised governance reforms to prevent a further destabilisation of the fragile region, a new Friends of Europe report says. In “Crossing the Wilderness: Europe and the Sahel”,…
The security forces of the Central African Republic (CAR) detained a French citizen this week and seized an impressive cache of weapons and intelligence equipment. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the suspect Mr. Quignolot had been in the CAR since 2013. He took part in the organisation of a coup in the CAR…
The EU-India Business Roundtable took place virtually in Porto to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the areas of climate, digital and healthcare and to support increased trade and investment. The business roundtable was organised in the margins of the EU-India Summit and with the support of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union….
