pact

Ireland to vote against EU-Mercosur trade deal as France also vows no amid farmer backlash Ireland will vote against the proposed EU-Mercosur trade agreement at a meeting of European Union ambassadors tomorrow, Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris said, aligning Dublin with France’s declared opposition as farmer protests intensify. Martin said progress had been made on safeguards around imported beef from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, but the Government lacked sufficient confidence that Irish and EU…

Yemen cancels defense pact with UAE, orders 24-hour troop withdrawal after alleged STC arms shipment Nationwide state of emergency declared for 90 days; 72-hour air and land ban on ports and border crossings Saudi-led coalition says it carried out a “limited” strike on two ships in Mukalla port Yemeni government backs move; UAE offers no immediate comment Yemen on Tuesday scrapped a joint defense agreement with the United Arab Emirates and ordered all Emirati forces to leave the country within 24 hours, escalating a rift…

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger form NATO-style military alliance to fight Sahel insurgents BAMAKO, Mali — Dec. 22 — Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announced a NATO-style military alliance on Friday and unveiled a 5,000-strong joint force to combat Islamist insurgents that have destabilized large swaths of the Sahel. Officials from the three countries said the alliance is designed to strengthen security cooperation, safeguard porous borders and enhance collective military capabilities as al-Qaida and Islamic State affiliates step…

Clashes erupted in Brussels on Thursday as thousands of farmers protested the European Union’s planned trade deal with the Mercosur bloc, lighting fires and hurling potatoes at riot police who answered with teargas and water cannons outside EU institutions. At least 7,000 farmers converged on the Belgian capital with about 1,000 tractors to pressure EU leaders meeting nearby, where the fate of the EU-Mercosur agreement hung in the balance. A largely peaceful march through the European quarter gave way to tense scenes at the…

BRUSSELS — Ireland is expected to opt for a financial contribution to frontline migration states in emergency situations rather than take in relocated migrants, as European Union justice ministers meet in Brussels to sign off on elements of the EU Migration Pact. The pact’s central “solidarity mechanism” is designed to ease sudden pressure on countries such as Italy and Greece when arrivals spike. Under the plan, other member states would share the burden either by relocating some migrants for screening and processing or by…

Ireland is expected to choose financial solidarity over relocation under the European Union’s new migration framework, as justice ministers meet in Brussels to sign off on key elements of the EU Migration Pact. Under the pact’s emergency solidarity mechanism, member states would be required to help frontline countries such as Italy and Greece when they are suddenly overwhelmed by migration flows. Governments could either accept a share of people for screening and processing, or make a financial contribution to ease the…

Kenya signs $2.5 billion health pact with U.S., first under Trump-era overhaul; data privacy questions follow NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya has signed a five-year, $2.5 billion health agreement with the United States, the first such government-to-government pact since President Donald Trump overhauled U.S. foreign aid, U.S. and Kenyan officials said Saturday. Washington cast the deal as a model for a series of agreements with developing countries, signaling a deeper pivot to direct funding of public sectors over traditional aid…

Somalia and Rwanda Sign a Cooperation Pact. Here’s Why It Matters Beyond Kigali On a brisk Monday in Kigali, Somalia’s foreign minister, Abdisalam Abdi Ali, and Rwanda’s top diplomat, Olivier Jean Patrick Nduhungirehe, put ink to paper on a General Cooperation Agreement that is modest on its face and ambitious in its implications. The accord promises collaboration in diplomacy, trade, investment, and capacity building—terms that can read like bureaucratic shorthand. But stitched into the fabric of this deal is a larger…

As AGOA’s clock runs out, U.S. influence in Africa faces a test After a quarter-century as the marquee U.S. trade tool for sub-Saharan Africa, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is poised to expire on September 30 — and with Congress preoccupied and polarized, the chances of a last-minute renewal look slim. The prospect is more than a technical lapse: it is a moment that forces a choice about how Washington wants to engage with a continent where other powers are already deepening economic ties. What AGOA has…

Somalia and Djibouti’s Quiet Pact Signals a Louder Message for the Horn of Africa MOGADISHU — In a capital accustomed to headlines about conflict and crisis, a quieter story unfolded this weekend: Somalia and Djibouti signed a memorandum of understanding to hold regular political consultations. On paper, it’s simple—two neighbors pledging to talk more, and to make that dialogue routine rather than reactive. In the Horn of Africa, that modest promise can carry real weight. The agreement, inked in Mogadishu by Somalia’s…