Some members of the European Union are calling for the body to support renewed construction of border barriers as Europe has seen a rise in illegal border crossings in recent months. On Jan. 21, 26 European Union members and envoys for Switzerland and the United Kingdom visited Greece, where Greek Citizens’ Protection Minister Takis Theodorikakos…

OTTAWA—Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos is expected to announce major changes to the border measures designed to counter to the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 at 1 p.m. EST. Currently, the government advises against all non-essential international travel because of the threat posted by the Omicron variant. Foreign nationals coming to Canada and people…

TOKYO—Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Thursday emphasised to his Chinese counterpart that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are important, while also expressing “deep concern” about the situations in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. Ties between the two Asian neighbors have been occasionally fraught over a territorial row and memories of World War Two,…

BRUSSELS—European Union finance ministers will on Monday discuss a surge in consumer prices, its impact on wages, and changes they would like made to the bloc’s budget rules to support investment and reduce debt. Inflation rose 4.1 percent year-on-year last month in the 19 countries sharing the euro, up from 3.4 percent in September. Ministers…

Energy ministers from European Union countries will on Wednesday (September 22) discuss the soaring price of gas and electricity across Europe, as some governments draw up measures to protect their consumers. Benchmark European power prices have rocketed this year, more than trebling in Spain and elsewhere, partly because gas prices have been driven up by…

British Health Secretary Sajid Javid on Wednesday defended ministers and MPs not wearing face coverings in Parliament and offices, saying it’s “perfectly consistent” with government guidelines. Legal requirements in England on mask-wearing and social distancing ended on July 19, when the nation moved into the fourth and final stage of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s roadmap…

BRDO, Slovenia—European Union finance ministers said on Friday that changes to EU budget rules, now under review, should support investment in the post-pandemic economy and allow for a more realistic path in cutting huge public debt. Finance ministers from the 27-nation bloc will begin discussions during a two-day meeting in the Slovenian town of Brdo…