South Africa is walking a fine line, balancing conflicting East-West attitudes to Iran while protecting oil imports and warding off fuel price hikes.
In a formal complaint to the WTO, the US, EU and Japan have accused Beijing of trying to hold down prices for its domestic manufacturers.
Syria has begun pre-emptively withdrawing ambassadors from Europe because it fears EU members will expel them.
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/ 27 February 2012
The EU scheme has been criticised for focusing on money and not reducing emissions.
South Africa is regarded as a leader in Africa but has yet to clarify its vision for the continent.
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/ 14 February 2012
China concedes that it needs to work together with the EU to solve Europe’s debt crisis.
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/ 11 February 2012
Sahel states are bracing for a long hungry season, many weakened by the return of people from Libya who are creating fresh strife.
Finance ministers are piling the pressure on Greece to make good on pledges to slash public spending before closing a deal on a €130-billion bailout.
Greek coalition leaders failed to reach a deal on austerity cuts after marathon talks but Prime Minister Lucas Papademos is hopeful of an agreement.
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/ 6 February 2012
Negotiations aimed at lightening Greece’s debt load to more sustainable levels are likely to dominate economic headlines this week.
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/ 5 February 2012
China has become Iran’s top trading partner as the sanctions against the Islamic republic have become progressively tougher.
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/ 4 February 2012
Finance ministers are to confer by telephone after 12 hours of talks in Athens failed to produce a breakthrough on a Greek bailout deal.
Developments in Spain and Portugal demand urgent attention.
Germany’s plan to install a commissioner in Athens with veto powers over the Greek budget has been dismissed as "laughable".
The process has been hijacked by a
self-serving troika that has ignored the people.
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/ 26 January 2012
Israel’s defence minister Ehud Barak warns tougher sanctions are needed against Iran despite the unprecedented oil embargo agreed by the EU this week.
The EU has formally adopted an oil embargo and central bank asset freeze against Iran to pressure it into resuming talks on its nuclear programme.
Hopes of a deal between Greece and creditors in time for Monday’s eurozone meeting have been dashed amid increased pressure to accept bigger losses.
EU regulators will decide by March whether to file an antitrust complaint against Google, potentially ending the squabble sooner than expected.
Greece expects further protests as international creditors arrive to begin crucial talks on plans to write off some of the country’s debts.
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/ 11 January 2012
Only half the EU’s nations have complied with a law to eliminate cramped cages of hens — a flop seen as a metaphor for Europe’s state of disarray.
An already frail economy will come under more pressure when the EU ban comes into effect.
Will markets begin 2012 with a bang or a whimper? <b>Matt Quigley</b> looks at the economic week ahead.
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/ 21 December 2011
If eurozone countries continue to pursue misguided policies, social movements will gain steam and the EU will unravel.
The European Union has slammed the results of the DRC’s "deplorable" elections, which handed President Joseph Kabila another five-year term in office.
The United Kingdom’s Nick Clegg has spent the weekend trying to rekindle relationships with other European countries after a disagreement at the EU.
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/ 11 December 2011
The UK’s deputy prime minister has exposed coalition tensions in Europe after saying he was disappointed by the outcome of the European Union summit.
European leaders have agreed to join their fiscal fortunes in order to stop a crippling debt crisis, save the euro currency and prevent further chaos.
EU climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard has stepped up warnings that if major economies do not compromise, a Durban deal may be out of reach.
A confidential paper, circulated by European Council president Herman Van Rompuy, proposes empowering the commission to impose austerity measures.
China says it will commit to a binding agreement on climate change, even as calls grow for the US to stop hindering negotiations and leave the talks.
The UN climate talks enter their second week amid a tangled high-level stand-off and violent clashes between protesters and official COP17 volunteers.