Today we on Sweden celebrate Lucia, Lucia on 13 December is a major Swedish tradition. Girls and boys in white gowns sing to celebrate the mythical Saint Lucia, If visiting Sweden in time to catch a Lucia celebration, you’ll be able to experience these at various places, such as churches, town halls and even …
The best band that ever played on Earth, The E Street Band. Bruce Springsteens legendary family and Hall of Fame band is known to be as much Springsteen as he is. I have heard them play live in person twentyfour times and I can agree to the fantastic words about the performance of this …
Singapore is currently trialling digital documentation with two ports in China – Qinzhou and Tianjin – to facilitate trade by reducing the amount of paperwork involved in cross-border trade, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said on Tuesday (Dec 8). The trials come as part of Singapore’s move to build its Networked Trade Platform, …
Don’t miss the ICC BASCAP virtual report launch event and webinar on Free Trade Zones tomorrow, Thursday 10 December. I will be on the panel. You can register here: ICC BASCAP Freezone Report Launch
Today Swedish EU Commissioner Ylva Johansson presents a new EU plan to combat terrorism. Following the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, Nice, Dresden and Vienna, the focus on the security and terrorist issue has returned to the agenda in Brussels. learn from the recent and previous attacks and suggest a way forward in the …
The UK and EU have reached agreement on how rules in the Brexit divorce deal will be implemented, particularly in relation to Northern Ireland. The government says an “agreement in principle” has been found for issues including border control posts and the supply of medicines. Details of the agreement have not been published but …
Continue reading “Brexit: UK and EU reach deal on Northern Ireland border checks”
The co-chairs of the EU-UK Joint Committee – European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič and the UK Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the Rt Hon Michael Gove – yesterday held a political meeting to address the outstanding issues related to the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement. Ensuring that the Withdrawal Agreement, in particular the …
Continue reading “Joint statement by the co-chairs of the EU-UK Joint Committee”
No progress made on ‘level playing field’, meaning negotiations could end without a deal on Monday. However I have heard signals about a possible breakthrough. The EU backed down over post-Brexit fishing arrangements on Sunday night – but the chances of a trade deal remained “on a knife edge”, with other key issues unresolved. …
Less than 20% of businesses in Northern Ireland feel ready for the end of the Brexit transition period in less than four weeks’ time, according to a stark new survey, as Boris Johnson’s UK government comes under growing pressure to postpone the introduction of a host of new checks on trade across the Irish …
Downing Street sources unsure as to whether the French president might ‘torpedo’ a deal at the last minute over fishing rights in UK waters. Brexit talks are heading for a showdown between Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron this weekend with the prospect of an EU deal now dependent on French access to fish in British …
The 2020 African Of The Year Award has been given to Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Congratulations to Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the chair of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. She is a globally-renowned #economist who has served twice as Nigeria’s finance minister, and also rose to prominence as the Managing Director of the WorldBank. She is currently …
A few weeks ago I received a positive Covid-19 test. Since then I have done my 12 rounds with the virus. It feels like I have been fighting Mike Tyson. Last week was my worst so far with many of the typical symptoms, like a heavy flu – including being extremely tired. No breathing …
The UK is in the “last leg of negotiations” with the EU over a post-Brexit trade deal, the foreign secretary has said. Dominic Raab told the BBC it was likely the talks were entering the “last real major week”, and an agreement remained possible if the EU showed “pragmatism”. He added that the talks …
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Revenue has warned of its “fundamental concern” about businesses who have not registered for an important Revenue number which is considered the first step in getting Brexit ready. Around 15,000 Irish businesses out of an estimated 90,000 which trade with the UK, or whose goods move through the UK, have yet to register for …
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Businesses are being urged by government to prepare for new trade rules with the EU, regardless of the outcome of the negotiations. Notably, government advice about what businesses need to know about ‘Trading under WTO rules’ was updated today (26 November), amid renewed speculation that the UK and EU may fail to secure a …
Continue reading “Government urging businesses to prepare for 1 January – deal or no-deal”
The best football player ever has left us today. Diego Armando Maradona. The Legend. For me he is the best player ever, by far. I was 22 years old when Maradona almostnon hos owm won the world cup in Mexico 1986. I habe never seen anything like his performance then, before or after. He …
There is a landing zone for a deal. That is what I hear from multiple sources. Negotiators are exploring the idea of review clauses to break the deadlock in EU-UK trade talks, with the possibility that parts of the deal could be revisited several years after they take effect. EU diplomats said the two …
Continue reading “EU and UK negotiators turn to review clauses in bid to unlock deal.”
The Weekend long-read from Connely. A good summary though there are some gaps despite the long text – and that I am a bit more optimistic. As we hurtle towards 31 December the scramble for a deal is forcing both sides to get creative in the hope that they do not need to get …
Continue reading “Final throes of Brexit legal fixes and hardball tactics”
The value of Irish goods exports has risen by 8 per cent to €122 billion so far this year. The strong performance, detailed in the latest trade figures, was driven by exports of medical and pharmaceutical products, which have surged as a result of the pandemic. The Central Statistics Office figures show the value …
Continue reading “Irish exports rise 8% to €122bn this year as pandemic drives demand”
The U.K. and Canada are on the brink of signing a new trade agreement to replace the existing deal Britain has through European Union membership. The agreement would be a major boost to U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his efforts to plot a new course for Britain as a global trading nation outside …
Continue reading “Breaking News: U.K., Canada on Brink of Trade Agreement”