
<p>KEY POINTS</p>



<ul><li>Imposing measures that could reduce, or fully cut, Russian energy supplies to the EU have been a complicated task for the bloc.</li><li>This is because the region is reliant on Russia for several sources of energy, including oil.</li><li>In 2020, Russian oil imports accounted for about 25% of the bloc’s crude purchases, according to the region’s statistics office.</li></ul>



<p>The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, on Wednesday put forward new sanctions against the Kremlin which will include a&nbsp;six-month&nbsp;phase out of Russian crude imports.</p>



<p><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/04/russia-ukraine-live-updateshtml.html">Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine</a>, and evidence of war crimes, has pushed the EU to take bolder steps on energy sanctions. But imposing measures that could reduce, or fully cut, Russian energy supplies to the EU have been a complicated task for the bloc.</p>



<p>This is because the region is reliant on Russia for several sources of energy, including oil. In 2020, Russian oil imports accounted for about 25% of the bloc’s crude purchases, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=File:Extra_EU_imports_of_petroleum_oil_from_main_trading_partners,_2020_and_first_semester_2021.png" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">region’s statistics office.</a></p>



<p>“Let us be clear: it will not be easy,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during a speech at the European Parliament Wednesday.</p>



<p>“Some member states are strongly dependent on Russian oil. But we simply have to work on it. We now propose a ban on Russian oil. This will be a complete import ban on all Russian oil, seaborne and pipeline, crude and refined.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-exemptions"><a></a>Exemptions</h2>



<p>The ban had been a highly controversial topic within the EU, but the move gained more momentum after Germany backed the idea. Two EU nations —&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/03/russia-sanctions-eu-nears-oil-embargo-hungary-and-slovakia-want-exemptions.html">Slovakia and Hungary which are both highly dependent on Russian energy — have been demanding exemptions</a>.</p>



<p>Von der Leyen chose not to give any details on exemptions during her speech, but three EU officials, who did not want to be named due to the sensitive nature of the issue, confirmed to CNBC that the commission’s proposal includes this flexibility — giving Hungary and Slovakia a longer period of time to phase out Russian oil.</p>


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EU proposes gradual ban on Russian oil in sixth round of sanctions against Moscow

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<p>The European Union and the Rwanda Development Board have entered a deal worth R3.6 billion Rwandan francs in order to boost vaccine manufacturing capacity in that country. Clare Akamanzi, CEO of the Rwanda Development Board joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


EU, RDB partner to boost vaccine manufacturing capacity in Rwanda

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<p>As South Africa is working on building back better after being battered by COVID-19, government ministers are on a journey to rebuild their departments. The aim is to bring back people’s trust of government and the public sector. One of the channels that the government is using to achieve this goal, is the National School of Government. CNBC Africa’s Godfrey Mutizwa spoke with Senzo Mchunu, Minister of Public Service &#038; Administration.</p>


Here’s what EU investors think of SA’s empowerment policies

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<p>With the operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area pushed to December of this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There have been calls to revise the current trade agreements between the continent and major trading partners such as the European Union; former Secretary of UNECA, Carlos Lopes joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Carlos Lopes: Why Africa should revise its trade agreements with the EU

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<p>The European Union has released an additional 15 million euros to the fight against desert locusts in East Africa ahead of a potential new wave of swarms in the region. This comes after the EU granted 11 million euros back in February of this year for the same. The Food and Agriculture Organisation is one of the bodies set to receive the funds for this and CNBC Africa spoke to Cyril Ferrand, Senior Technical Officer and Team Leader for Eastern Africa Resilience for more.</p>


EU injects additional $17mn to tackle desert locusts ravaging East Africa

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<p>In Uganda, according to president Yoweri Museveni, the country will go ahead with its plan to re-open the country despite recording more than 150 Covid-19 cases in three days. Moreover, European Union gives Uganda about $198 million to fund coronavirus response. CNBC Africa spoke to Qatahar Raymond Mujuni, a journalist for more.</p>


Uganda moves to phased reopening amid rising of COVID-19 cases


<p>Report by William Feuer</p>



<p><strong>Key Points</strong></p>



<ul><li>COVID-19 cases surpassed 200,000 worldwide on Wednesday as the new coronavirus continues to spread outside of China, the original epicenter of the outbreak.</li></ul>



<ul><li>The total number of cases now stands at 201,436 as of 7:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, according to data compiled by John Hopkins.</li></ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1110" height="624" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Coronavirus-cases-top-200000-globally-1110x624.png" alt="" class="wp-image-363907" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Coronavirus-cases-top-200000-globally-1110x624.png 1110w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Coronavirus-cases-top-200000-globally-300x169.png 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Coronavirus-cases-top-200000-globally-820x461.png 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Coronavirus-cases-top-200000-globally-768x432.png 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Coronavirus-cases-top-200000-globally-1536x864.png 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Coronavirus-cases-top-200000-globally-696x391.png 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Coronavirus-cases-top-200000-globally-1068x601.png 1068w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Coronavirus-cases-top-200000-globally-747x420.png 747w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Coronavirus-cases-top-200000-globally.png 1910w" sizes="(max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px" /></figure>



<p>COVID-19 cases surpassed 200,000 worldwide on Wednesday as the new coronavirus continues to spread outside of China, the original epicenter of the outbreak.</p>



<p>The total number of cases now stands at 201,436&nbsp;as of 7:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, according to data compiled by John Hopkins. The virus emerged in Wuhan, China in December. It has since spread to most countries around the world, according to the World Health Organization.</p>



<p>Almost half of all cases in the world are in China, but the virus, known as COVID-19, has quickly spread across borders. Last week, the WHO declared that Europe had become the new epicenter of the virus.</p>



<p>“More cases are now being reported [in Europe] every day than were reported in China at the height of its epidemic,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.</p>



<p>Italy, where officials have implemented a nationwide lockdown, has reported more than 31,000 cases, according to JHU, and over 2,500 deaths. The virus has infected more than 16,000 people in Iran, JHU’s data shows, and over 13,000 in Spain.</p>



<p>On Jan. 20, four countries, China, Thailand, Japan and South Korea, had reported a total of 282 cases, most of which were in China, according to the WHO.</p>



<p>The WHO <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/11/who-declares-the-coronavirus-outbreak-a-global-pandemic.html">declared the virus a global pandemic last week</a>.</p>



<p>“In the past two weeks the number of cases outside China has increased thirteenfold and the number of affected countries has tripled,” Tedros said. “In the days and weeks ahead, we expect to see the number of cases, the number of deaths and the number of affected countries to climb even higher.”</p>



<p>The WHO has criticized responses by some countries for failing to communicate clearly with their population, not taking proactive containment measures and not committing politically to combat the virus.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“Some countries are struggling with a lack of capacity. Some countries are struggling with a lack of resources. Some countries are struggling with a lack of resolve,” Tedros said after declaring the virus a pandemic.</p>



<p>To curb the spread of the virus, governments across the world are closing schools, restricting travel and ordering people to remain in their homes.&nbsp;<a href="https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/countries_en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">European leaders</a>&nbsp;agreed Tuesday to close the European Union’s external borders for 30 days. Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump declared a similar travel ban on most European countries.</p>



<p>Italian officials locked down the entire country earlier this month, banning public gatherings, shuttering schools and closing businesses.</p>



<p>This article was first published on CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/18/worldwide-coronavirus-cases-top-200000-for-the-first-time.html">https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/18/worldwide-coronavirus-cases-top-200000-for-the-first-time.html</a> and is republished with its permission.</p>


Worldwide coronavirus cases top 200,000 for the first time

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This week saw Commonwealth Day and the very first European Union, Uganda Business Forum happen in Kampala. Analyst and Chief Strategist at Impact Communication Strategies, Ken Agutamba joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Inaugural EU-Uganda Business Forum to strengthen bilateral ties

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The European Union in Rwanda has launched a 900,000 euros project to enhance strategic fields in Rwandan higher education for sustainable growth. CNBC Africa&#8217;s Steven Muvunyi spoke to EU Ambassador to Rwanda, Nicola Bellomo for more.</p>


This new flagship program seeks to empower Rwanda’s youth through education

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As the dust of Britain’s exit from the European Union settles we are discussing what trade relations between the U.K and South Africa is going to look like for the foreseeable future. Joining CNBC Africa for more is Lord Peter Hain a former UK MP and visiting lecturer at GIBS Business School.</p>


Lord Peter Hain: Brexit has been a disaster for Britain, here’s why

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Britain’s divorce from the European Union takes place today after an emotional debate that took place on Wednesday and a tumultuous three years of voting and a rotating door of prime ministers. Today marks the symbolic exit of Britain from the European Union as the official regulatory exit will take another 11 months to officially be parted from the EU. Deon Gouws, Chief Investment Officer at Credo Wealth joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Britain is leaving the EU today but Brexit is far from over

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Nigeria and UK investors signed commercial deals worth 324 million pounds at the just concluded UK-Africa Investment Summit according to a statement by the British Deputy High Commission. Ahead of Britain’s exit from the European Union – British Deputy High Commissioner, Harriet Thompson joins CNBC Africa to discuss ways the UK plans to consolidate its ties with Nigeria.</p>


Commissioner Harriet Thompson on strengthening ties between the UK & Nigeria


<p>LONDON (Reuters) &#8211; Prime Minister Boris Johnson will call for deeper investment ties between Britain and Africa at a summit for leaders of 21 African countries on Monday that comes days before his country will leave the European Union.</p>



<p>After securing Britain’s departure from the EU, the world’s largest trading bloc, on Jan. 31, Johnson is keen to develop business ties with countries outside Europe.</p>



<p>At the summit in London, Johnson will call for Britain to be the “investment partner of choice” for Africa. He will highlight deals worth billions of pounds with countries on the continent, underlining the roles British companies are playing in providing anything from smart street lighting in Nigeria to environmentally friendly breweries in Kenya.</p>



<p>The prime minister will also announce an end to British support for thermal coal mining or coal power plants overseas, according to a statement issued before the summit’s start.</p>



<p>Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Pravin Char</p>


UK’s Boris Johnson is pushing for deeper trade ties with Africa as Brexit nears

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<p>Prying eyes are on the UK as Brexit is set to take place on the 31st of January. However before the UK exits from the European Union (EU) they are hosting a UK-Africa Investment Summit to strengthen ties and showcase opportunities in Africa. Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Africa, Emma Wade-Smith joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


These are the key issues set to be discussed at upcoming UK-Africa Investment Summit

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<p>CNBC reporter Julianna Tatelbaum breaks down the aftermath of the UK general elections which Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party secured a thumping victory.</p>


UK general elections: What Boris Johnson’s victory means for Brexit

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<p>The election is won and the Brexit deal is done. Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party won a thumping victory in Britain’s general election – the biggest since the days of Margaret Thatcher – to give him the parliamentary muscle to push through Brexit by January 31st. It is the end of the road for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who will step down. The exit from one of the world’s largest trading blocs is likely to have implications for many African nations.</p>


The Tories have it – Boris Johnson returns to power with a stronger Brexit mandate

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<p>Millions of Britons went to the polls in the last few hours as the country decides who will lead it in an election that could prove the last word in the Brexit saga. The Conservative incumbent Boris Johnson is expected to win and lead Britain out of the European Union by the end of January. But there could be complications. Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party could split the leave vote in favour of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Alex de Ruyter, Director of Centre for Brexit Studies, Birmingham City University joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


European Union

EU proposes gradual ban on Russian oil in sixth round of sanctions against Moscow

EU, RDB partner to boost vaccine manufacturing capacity in Rwanda

Here’s what EU investors think of SA’s empowerment policies

Carlos Lopes: Why Africa should revise its trade agreements with the EU

EU injects additional $17mn to tackle desert locusts ravaging East Africa

Uganda moves to phased reopening amid rising of COVID-19 cases

Worldwide coronavirus cases top 200,000 for the first time

Inaugural EU-Uganda Business Forum to strengthen bilateral ties

This new flagship program seeks to empower Rwanda’s youth through education

Lord Peter Hain: Brexit has been a disaster for Britain, here’s why

Britain is leaving the EU today but Brexit is far from over

Commissioner Harriet Thompson on strengthening ties between the UK & Nigeria

UK’s Boris Johnson is pushing for deeper trade ties with Africa as Brexit nears

These are the key issues set to be discussed at upcoming UK-Africa Investment Summit

UK general elections: What Boris Johnson’s victory means for Brexit

The Tories have it – Boris Johnson returns to power with a stronger Brexit mandate

This is what’s at stake as Britain heads to the polls

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European Union

EU proposes gradual ban on Russian oil in sixth round of sanctions against Moscow

EU, RDB partner to boost vaccine manufacturing capacity in Rwanda

Here’s what EU investors think of SA’s empowerment policies

Carlos Lopes: Why Africa should revise its trade agreements with the EU

EU injects additional $17mn to tackle desert locusts ravaging East Africa

Uganda moves to phased reopening amid rising of COVID-19 cases

Worldwide coronavirus cases top 200,000 for the first time

Inaugural EU-Uganda Business Forum to strengthen bilateral ties

This new flagship program seeks to empower Rwanda’s youth through education

Lord Peter Hain: Brexit has been a disaster for Britain, here’s why

Britain is leaving the EU today but Brexit is far from over

Commissioner Harriet Thompson on strengthening ties between the UK & Nigeria

UK’s Boris Johnson is pushing for deeper trade ties with Africa as Brexit nears

These are the key issues set to be discussed at upcoming UK-Africa Investment Summit

UK general elections: What Boris Johnson’s victory means for Brexit

The Tories have it – Boris Johnson returns to power with a stronger Brexit mandate

This is what’s at stake as Britain heads to the polls

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