WorldPARIS, AFP -France said Tuesday it wanted to halt thorny EU-US trade talks as President Francois Hollande said there would be no deal at least until after President Barack Obama leaves office in January. Junior trade minister Matthias Fekl said there was “no more political support in France” for the talks because US negotiators were offering “nothing or just crumbs”. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls had earlier said it would be “impossible” for the two sides to conclude negotiations on a trade deal by the end of 2016. Activists who have opposed TTIP since negotiations began in 2013 say the deal would only benefit multinationals and harm consumers. All EU member states and the European parliament must ratify any TTIP deal before it can take effect.

Source: Sunday Times August 30, 2016 11:15 UTC