- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
- Gauff fights back to set up Beijing final against Muchova
- Guardiola claims Premier League won't delay season for Man City
- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
- Gauff fights back to reach China Open final
- Recovering Stokes ruled out of first Pakistan Test
- Hezbollah battles troops on border as Israel pounds Lebanon
- Alcaraz, Sinner breeze into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Bagnaia wins Japan MotoGP sprint to cut Martin's lead
- Alcaraz breezes into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Gaza cultural heritage brought to light in Geneva
- 'Bullet for democracy': Trump returns to site of rally shooting
- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
- South Korean cult-horror series 'Hellbound' returns at BIFF
- Nepalis fear more floods as climate change melts glaciers
- Honduras arrests environmentalist's alleged murderer
- Padres pitcher Musgrove needs elbow surgery
- Supreme Court lets stand rules to curb mercury, methane emissions
- Boston beat Denver in NBA exhibition season opener, but Jokic says omens are good
- Chagos diaspora angry at lack of input on islands' fate
- Biden says 'not confident' of peaceful US election
- US trade chief defends tariff hikes when paired with investment
- Lukaku stars as Napoli beat Como to hold Serie A top spot
- Ohtani set for MLB playoff debut as Dodgers face Padres
- Pogba's drug ban cut to 18 months from four years
EU chief unveils 150-bn-euro investment plan for Africa
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday unveiled plans to muster investment of more than 150 billion euros for Africa, proclaiming Europe to be the continent's biggest and "most reliable" partner.
The scheme is the first regional plan of the European Union's Global Gateway -- an investment blueprint that seeks to mobilise up to 300 billion euros ($340 billion) for public and private infrastructure around the world by 2027.
Seen as a response to China's Belt and Road initiative, the strategy will use funding from EU institutions and member countries to leverage private-sector investment.
Speaking at a press conference in the Senegalese capital Dakar, von der Leyen told reporters she was "proud" to announce plans for Africa, where the aim was to amass at least 150 billion euros in investment.
She did not offer details about how the funds would be raised or spent.
The EU's website says money under the Global Gateway will be earmarked for "smart, lean and secure links" in communications and transport and for boosting health, education and research.
Von der Leyen, who is president of the powerful executive European Commission, arrived on Wednesday to prepare for a summit between the EU and the African Union on February 17-18.
"At the summit, investments will be at the heart of the discussions because they are the means of our shared ambition," von der Leyen said.
"In this area Europe is the most reliable partner for Africa and by far the most important," she added.
Global Gateway is rooted in "the values to which Europe and Africa are committed, such as transparency, sustainability, good governance and concern for the well-being of the people," von der Leyen said.
- China and Russia -
Speaking to AFP before arriving in Senegal, von der Leyen warned that foreign investment in Africa too often came with "hidden costs" attached.
Critics often accuse other large investors in Africa, such as China or Russia, as being less stringent on environmental protection or human rights.
China in particular is accused of luring African countries into debt traps, offering huge unaffordable loans. Beijing disputes the charge, arguing that its loans are designed to alleviate poverty.
For his part, Senegalese President Macky Sall told reporters on Thursday that he expected the EU-AU summit to produce a "renewed, modernised and more action-oriented partnership."
"Europe and Africa have an interest in working together", he said, referencing the geographical proximity of the two continents and common security concerns, among other things.
Sall added that he was committed fighting global warming, but stressed the need to finance natural-gas projects in order to boost industry and provide greater access to electricity.
He has opposed plans announced by a small group of countries at last year's COP26 climate summit, including the US and France, to end financing for overseas unabated fossil fuels -- those without associated carbon capture technology -- by the end of 2022.
The final declaration at COP26 also said countries would "accelerate efforts towards phase-out of unabated coal power and inefficient fossil fuel subsidies."
Senegal, a poor nation of 17 million people, has high hopes for gas fields off its Atlantic coast.
The government has said it plans to start production by late next year or in 2024.
O.Gaspar--PC