Belgium

BRUSSELS (AP) — With both sides digging in their heels as another Brexit deadline passed Thursday, the European Union and Britain demanded concessions from one another in talks on a basic trade deal that would soften the economic blow of the coronavirus pandemic for all.

The EU leaders meeting in a summit on the day British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had set as a potential cutoff point for the acrimonious negotiations said in a joint statement it was now up to “the UK to make the necessary moves to make an agreement possible.”

BRUSSELS, October 15. /TASS/: Director of Russia’s Federal Security Service Alexander Bortnikov, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration Sergei Kiriyenko and four other high-ranking Russian officials were put on the EU’s blacklist against Russia over the incident with blogger Alexei Navalny, the Council of the European Union said its regulation published in the EU Official Journal.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said on Thursday he expected an intensification of talks to break the current impasse on reaching a Brexit deal with Britain before the end of this year.

“I think we still can get this resolved within the timeframe available to us,” he told reporters ahead of a European Union summit in Brussels. “I think where there is a will there’s a way.”

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union imposed sanctions on top Russian officials close to President Vladimir Putin on Thursday in an unexpectedly robust and swift response to the August poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

Pushed by France and Germany, where Navalny was treated after collapsing on a flight from Siberia, the EU targeted six Russians and a state scientific research centre, according to the bloc’s Official Journal.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission urged member nations on Thursday to step up preparations against the new surge of coronavirus infections and recommended common measures to roll out vaccines should they become available.

With new cases hitting about 100,000 daily, Europe has by a wide margin overtaken the United States, where an average of more than 51,000 COVID-19 infections is reported every day.

“Time is running out,” said EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides, urging greater coordination in tracing infections.

PRAGUE/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European nations are closing schools, cancelling operations and enlisting legions of student medics as overwhelmed authorities face the nightmare scenario of a COVID-19 resurgence at the onset of winter.

With new cases hitting about 100,000 a day, Europe has by a wide margin overtaken the United States, where more than 51,000 COVID-19 infections are reported on average every day.

Most European governments eased lockdowns over the summer to start reviving economies already battered by the pandemic’s first wave.

BRUSSELS, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) member states on Tuesday adopted a common color code to define the level of risk related to the coronavirus outbreak, region by region, a move to avoid fragmentation and disruption.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union will impose duties of up to 48% on imports of aluminium extrusions from China midway through an investigation into whether Chinese producers are selling at unfairly low prices.

The EU official journal said on Tuesday that the duties, ranging from 30.4 to 48.0%, would apply from Wednesday. The duties are provisional, meaning they will apply until the investigation’s expected completion by April.

At that point, the bloc could apply duties for five years.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union’s unity on Brexit is strong and the bloc will continue to work in the coming days and weeks for a fair deal on its future relationship with the United Kingdom, the EU’s chief negotiator said on Tuesday.

“Strong EU unity confirmed ahead of European Council,” Michel Barnier tweeted after briefing European Affairs ministers in Luxembourg. “The EU will continue to work for a fair deal in the coming days and weeks.”

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Germany on Tuesday demanded “substantive” movement from Britain on fisheries, dispute settlement and fair competition guarantees in post-Brexit trade talks with the European Union, which it said were “at a very critical stage”.

Britain, home to the world’s sixth-biggest economy, in January became the only country to leave the EU. It has since been locked in painstaking talks with the world’s largest trading bloc to keep trade flowing freely despite Brexit.