Author: Raf Casert
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Hard work and too many statistics: An EU farmer’s frustration grows with every click of the mouse
Farmers have always lived by the whim of nature, but fickle regulation they find more difficult to accept
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Thousands of Spanish farmers stage a second day of tractor protests over EU policies and prices
Thousands of farmers in Spain have staged a second day of tractor protests across the country
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Zelensky makes appeal for EU membership
BRUSSELS • President Volodymyr Zelensky asked his Western allies Thursday for more weapons and said “a Ukraine that is winning” its war with Russia should become a member of the European Union, arguing the bloc won’t be complete without it. Zelensky made his appeal during an emotional day at EU headquarters in Brussels as he…
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Nobel laureate wants more to help probe Russian war crimes
BRUSSELS • A Ukrainian human rights lawyer who shared last year’s Nobel Peace Prize called Thursday for more international investigative and legal help to deal with the staggering amount of war crimes cases since Russia invaded its neighbor almost a year ago. Oleksandra Matviichuk of Ukraine’s Center for Civil Liberties told a session of the…
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EU leaders divided on gas price cap at energy crisis summit
BRUSSELS • European Union leaders stood divided Thursday on whether, and how, the bloc could impose a gas price cap to contain the energy crisis fueled by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and his strategy to choke off gas supplies to the bloc at will. And, for once, the traditional driving duo of…
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NATO nations sign accession protocols for Sweden, Finland
BRUSSELS • The 30 NATO allies signed off on the accession protocols for Sweden and Finland on Tuesday, sending the membership bids of the two nations to the alliance capitals for legislative approvals — and possible political trouble in Turkey. The move further increases Russia’s strategic isolation in the wake of its invasion of neighboring…
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19-year-old woman sets record for solo global flight
BRUSSELS • Home! And no longer alone. The 19-year-old Belgian-British pilot Zara Rutherford set a world record as the youngest woman to fly solo around the world, touching her small airplane down in western Belgium on Thursday — 155 days after she departed. She made it count for herself, her family and dedicated it to…
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Facebook whistleblower fears the metaverse
BRUSSELS • Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen warned Tuesday that the “metaverse,” the all-encompassing virtual reality world at the heart of the social media giant’s growth strategy, will be addictive and rob people of yet more personal information while giving the embattled company another monopoly online. In an interview with The Associated Press, Haugen said her…
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EU regulator ‘convinced’ AstraZeneca benefit outweighs risk
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s drug regulator insisted Tuesday that there is “no indication” the AstraZeneca vaccine causes blood clots as governments around the world faced the grimmest of dilemmas: push on with a vaccine known to save lives or suspend its use over reports of clotting in some recipients. The European Medicines Agency…
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Brexit deal cleared last hurdle; U.K. set to leave Friday
BRUSSELS • The European Union grudgingly let go of the United Kingdom with a final vote Wednesday at the EU’s parliament that ended the Brexit divorce battle and set the scene for tough trade negotiations in the year ahead. In an emotion-charged session at the session in Brussels, lawmakers from all 28 EU countries expressed…