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EU chases mineral deals with Africa

EU chases mineral deals with Africa

THE European Union is in negotiations with the Democratic Republic of Congo, a leading source of battery minerals, and aims for talks with other African countries to shore up its supplies of critical raw materials, an EU official said on Wednesday. As part of efforts to reduce dependency on China, which dominates supplies of minerals needed for a transition to a lower carbon economy, the EU's Critical Raw Materials Act, which has yet to enter force, established targets to develop alternative sources. So far the EU has signed partnerships with countries such as Canada, Kazakhstan, Namibia and Ukraine, and said deals…
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Macron seeks China’s help on Ukraine, Xi ‘willing’ to call Zelenskiy

Macron seeks China’s help on Ukraine, Xi ‘willing’ to call Zelenskiy

MICHEL ROSE and LAURIE CHEN CHINA'S Xi Jinping expressed willingness to speak to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the head of the EU said after French President Emmanuel Macron urged Beijing to talk sense to Russia over the war in Ukraine. In closely watched talks, European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and Macron met with Xi in Beijing. Macron said the West must engage China to help end the crisis and prevent "spiralling" tensions that could split global powers into warring blocs. Xi, who has sought to position China as a potential mediator in the conflict but has been seen…
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U.N. rights mission blasts EU on Libya migrant abuses

U.N. rights mission blasts EU on Libya migrant abuses

EMMA FARGE and ANGUS MCDOWALL EUROPEAN Union backing for Libyan authorities who stop and detain migrants means the bloc has "aided and abetted" rights violations against migrants, an investigator for a U.N. mission said. The EU and member states have supported and trained the Libyan coastguard, which returns migrants stopped at sea to detention centres, and have funded Libyan border management programmes via the Italian government. The investigator, Chaloka Beyani, was speaking after a U.N. fact-finding mission presented a report saying crimes against humanity were carried out against migrants in detention centres. "Although we're not saying that the EU and…
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EU observers say 21 killed in Nigeria election violence

EU observers say 21 killed in Nigeria election violence

EUROPEAN Union election observers said on Monday at least 21 people were killed during Nigeria's regional elections, which were marked by intimidation, violence and a low turnout. Nigerians voted for state governors in 28 of 36 states on Saturday. Results were still expected from several states on Monday, including northeastern Adamawa, a conservative and Muslim state, which could elect its first female governor. Barry Andrews, European Union Observer Mission Nigeria chief observer told a news conference that Lagos, which re-elected the ruling party's governor, was among several southern and central states that witnessed poll-related violence. "Polling on election day was again disrupted…
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Sunak in Belfast to sell new Brexit deal

Sunak in Belfast to sell new Brexit deal

AMANDA FERGUSON and SACHIN RAVIKUMAR BRITISH Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was in Northern Ireland to sell his new deal with the European Union to ease post-Brexit trade, a measure he hopes will finally break the political deadlock in the province. Sunak is trying to secure the backing of all sides in Northern Ireland so he can reset relations with the EU - and the United States - without angering lawmakers in his own party and in Belfast who are most wedded to Brexit. His deal seeks to resolve the tensions caused by the Northern Ireland protocol, a complex agreement which set the…
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Global tech billionaires eye Zambia’s electric vehicle battery mines, European Union eyes its avocados

Global tech billionaires eye Zambia’s electric vehicle battery mines, European Union eyes its avocados

SETH ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY MARKET optimism is spurring a rush of investments into Zambia's agriculture and mining sectors, giving the economy new growth impetus. Investors include Kobold, a consortium linked to tech titans Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson, now tipped to stir up Zambia's Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) scene with planned investments into its mining sector. The California-based mineral exploration firm is eyeing the country's mines for electric vehicle components, leveraging reformist President Hakainde Hichilema's efforts to revitalise the economy. Upon his landslide poll victory in 2021, part of Hichilema's economic blueprint entailed placing an electric vehicle…
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Namibia, EU strike deal on rare earth minerals

Namibia, EU strike deal on rare earth minerals

NAMIBIA has provisionally agreed on a deal with the European Union to sell its rare earth minerals, critical to the renewable energy sectors, mines and energy minister Tom Alweendo said. EU and Namibian officials told Reuters in July they were planning a deal on hydrogen and minerals as the bloc works to reduce its dependence on Russian energy. "In principle, we have agreed on conditions, whatever the materials, we are going to process them here," Alweendo said about the approaches being taken to ensure the southern African country reaps the benefit of its resources. Namibia has significant reserves of rare earth…
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EU ends part of Mali training mission, fearing Russian interference, Borrell says

EU ends part of Mali training mission, fearing Russian interference, Borrell says

THE European Union will halt part of its training of Mali's armed forces, the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell said, citing a lack of guarantees from Malian authorities that Russian military contractors would not interfere in the work. The decision is likely to add to international concern about the longevity of the U.N. peacekeeping mission (MINUSMA) and the European Union's EUTM and EUCAP missions, after France and its allies began withdrawing from Mali earlier this year. "We have decided to suspend, to stop, certain formations of our training mission in Mali focused on the units of the armed forces of…
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Ukraine war: Can Africa become Europe’s next gas station?

Ukraine war: Can Africa become Europe’s next gas station?

SETH ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY EXPERTS expect Europe to ramp up investments into Africa’s natural gas sector to shock-absorb its economy from the unfolding crisis in Ukraine and the potential for energy supplies disruption in the future. In January, the European Union drafted a proposal to classify natural gas projects as “green energy” investments, potentially allowing the block to invest in the sector and at the same time contribute to what African nations are increasingly calling a "just transition" in the energy sector as the continent taps into gas and uses the proceeds to build on its huge green energy…
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Ukraine: U.N. calls for open borders for fleeing Africans

Ukraine: U.N. calls for open borders for fleeing Africans

THE U.N. refugee agency has urged authorities in countries neighbouring Ukraine to open their borders to African citizens fleeing the conflict there amid reports that some were being denied access to safety, UNHCR has said. Thousands of African and other foreign nationals, particularly students, have been scrambling to leave Ukraine since Russia's invasion on February 24. Close to 700,000 people fleeing Ukraine have been taken in by neighbouring countries in the European Union. Videos and testimonies have been circulating on social media complaining of discrimination against Africans at train stations and border posts. Reuters has not been able to authenticate these…
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