The Bank of France’s governor said Tuesday that Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union has driven almost 2,500 jobs and “at least 170 billion euros in assets” to France so far. London remains the foremost financial centre but Amsterdam, Dublin, Frankfurt and Paris all scrambled to attract businesses that wanted …
Read More »Russia files for Sputnik vaccine registration in EU
Russian authorities have applied for registration of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in the European Union, the country’s sovereign wealth fund financing the jab said Wednesday. A spokesperson for the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said the application with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) was lodged on Tuesday. “It is …
Read More »UK-Nigeria tech hub launches virtual capacity building programmes
Forming a part of the International Tech Hub Network, delivered by Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, (DCMS) the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub aims to build high-end digital and entrepreneurial skills, forging partnerships between local tech sectors and international businesses to stimulate digital economies and develop the Nigeria tech ecosystem. …
Read More »Google signs deal on copyright payments to French press
Google and French newspapers said Thursday they had signed an agreement aimed at opening the way to digital copyright payments from the online giant after months of heated negotiations. The accord signed with the APIG alliance of French dailies involves “neighbouring rights,” which call for payment for showing news content …
Read More »Death toll in Madrid gas blast rises to four
The toll from a powerful explosion that gutted a church-owned building in Madrid rose to four on Thursday after a priest died from his injuries. The 36-year-old, who was ordained a priest in June, was one of 11 people who were injured during Wednesday’s blast that officials said was caused …
Read More »Worsening pandemic poses ‘serious risks’, ECB’s Lagarde warns
European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde warned on Thursday that the pandemic still poses “serious risks” to the eurozone economy as concerns grow about new virus variants and sluggish vaccination campaigns. The Frankfurt institution’s governing council held back from tweaking its ultra-loose monetary policy at its first meeting of the …
Read More »Four soldiers killed by roadside bomb in Niger
Four soldiers were killed and eight others seriously injured by a roadside bomb in southeastern Niger, a region hit by jihadist attacks, the government said. The troops were pursuing “terrorists” on Monday following an attack the previous day on a military position in Chetima Wangou in the Diffa region, the …
Read More »Rwandan capital back under full virus lockdown
Rwanda’s capital Kigali was back under total lockdown on Tuesday after a surge in coronavirus cases in a country that has adopted some of Africa’s toughest anti-Covid measures. President Paul Kagame’s government announced the measures late Monday after a cabinet meeting, banning “unnecessary movements” in the capital. Rwanda imposed one …
Read More »Guinea’s Conde pushes ahead with government after disputed election
Guinean President Alpha Conde has pushed ahead with a new government after fiercely disputed elections last October that claimed dozens of lives. The 82-year-old leader named 16 new ministers, according to a communique read on state TV on Tuesday night, as part of an expected reshuffle. Conde won a violently …
Read More »Historic figure who announced Mugabe coup dies of Covid
Zimbabwe’s foreign affairs minister, Sibusiso Moyo, who gained world prominence for announcing the 2017 coup that ousted Robert Mugabe, died from coronavirus on Wednesday, the government said. Moyo, 61, was the face of the November 18, 2017, coup which toppled the country’s autocratic president and replaced him with Emmerson Mnangagwa. …
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