Europe

Finns call for halt to ‘unbearable’ Russian tourism

by Elias Huuhtanen Agence France-Presse LAPPEENRANTA, Finland (AFP) — Buses of Russian tourists stream into Finland at Nuijamaa border crossing in the country’s southeast, some hoping to enjoy the peaceful Finnish summer and others planning to travel further into Europe. Finland may be seeking NATO membership following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, but the Nordic country remains Russia’s only EU neighbor to grant tourist visas to Russian citizens. “I have travelled here for 12 years,” 37-year-old […]

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Resuming talks with Russia, Blinken offers ‘substantial’ deal on prisoners

by Shaun Tandon Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States has made a “substantial proposal” to Russia to free Americans including basketball star Brittney Griner, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday, as he announced he will speak to his Moscow counterpart for the first time since the Ukraine war. Blinken said he expected a telephone call “in the coming days” with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the offer to free former […]

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Saudi prince to sign deal for ‘cheaper energy’ in Greece

by Helene COLLIOPOULOU with Robbie COREY-BOULET in Riyadh Agence France-Presse ATHENS, Greece (AFP) — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced upcoming bilateral projects on a visit to Greece Tuesday, including for a power cable between both countries to provide Europe with “cheaper renewable energy”. Prince Mohammed landed in Greece on Tuesday on his first Europe trip since the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and is set to head to France later in the […]

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Russia doing better than expected despite sanctions: IMF

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Despite damaging Western sanctions imposed on Moscow in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s economy appears to be weathering the storm better than expected as it benefits from high energy prices, the IMF said Tuesday. The sanctions were meant to sever Russia from the global financial system and choke off funds available to Moscow to finance the war. But the International Monetary Fund’s latest World Economic Outlook upgraded […]

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EU debates plan to cut Russian gas and protect Germany

Brussels, Belgium | AFP by Daniel ARONSSOHN / Alex PIGMAN EU ministers debated Tuesday how to reduce gas consumption this winter, an act of solidarity for Germany and a response to Russia’s manipulation of supplies as an economic weapon. The plan, under discussion in Brussels, could see exceptions and carve-outs as European Union countries blanched at making too deep a sacrifice for Berlin and a few landlocked member states. Germany, the EU’s economic powerhouse, is […]

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UK PM rivals spar over tax, China in first head-to-head TV debate

by Joe Jackson Agence France-Presse  LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain’s two prime ministerial contenders clashed fiercely over tax, China and character on Monday night in their first head-to-head televised debate, as Rishi Sunak seeks to peg back the frontrunner Liz Truss. The primetime debate kicked off a crucial 12-day period featuring three such live TV duels and four husting events in front of Conservative party members who will decide the contest and begin receiving […]

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Ukraine calls Europe to action as Russia slashes gas

by Frankie Taggart Agence France-Presse  KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Russia’s state-owned gas company on Monday announced an unexpected, drastic cut in supply to Europe, leading Ukraine to call the West to action over the “gas war”. The gas cuts came amid guarded hope of resuming exports this week of another key commodity — Ukraine’s grain — under a breakthrough deal that was called into question by a strike by Moscow on the key port of […]

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First grain shipments to leave Ukraine ‘this week’: minister

Kyiv, Ukraine | AFP Kyiv expects the first grain deliveries under a UN-brokered deal to leave Ukrainian ports “this week”, Ukraine’s infrastructure minister said Monday, despite Russian strikes on Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odessa. “We expect the agreement to start working in the coming days,” Oleksandr Kubrakov, who led Ukraine’s delegation at grain talks in Turkey, told a press conference. “We are preparing for everything to start this week,” he added. Kubrakov also highlighted […]

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WHO triggers highest alert on monkeypox

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP by Christophe VOGT The World Health Organization on Saturday declared the monkeypox outbreak, which has affected nearly 17,000 people in 74 countries, to be a global health emergency — the highest alarm it can sound. “I have decided that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference. He said a committee of experts who met on Thursday […]

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Russia, Ukraine seal landmark grain deal in Istanbul

Istanbul, Turkey | AFP by Dmitry ZAKS with Frankie TAGGART in Kyiv Ukraine and Russia on Friday ended months of fraught negotiations and signed a landmark deal with Turkey and the United Nations aimed at relieving a global food crisis caused by blocked Black Sea grain deliveries. The first major deal between the warring parties since Russia’s February invasion should help ease the “acute hunger” that the UN estimates say now faces an additional 47 […]

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Wheat prices fall to level last seen before Ukraine invasion

New York, United States | AFP Wheat prices tumbled Friday, retreating to levels last seen prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine following a landmark agreement to unblock Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports. In Chicago, the price of wheat for delivery in September dropped 5.9 percent to $7.59 per bushel, which is equivalent to about 27 kilograms and the lowest close since Russia invaded its neighbor on February 24. On Euronext, wheat prices for delivery […]

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UN court rejects Myanmar challenge to genocide case

  The Hague, Netherlands | AFP by Danny KEMP The UN’s highest court ruled on Friday that a landmark case accusing military-ruled Myanmar of genocide against minority Rohingya Muslims can go ahead. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague threw out all of Myanmar’s objections to a case filed by the west African nation of The Gambia in 2019. The decision paves the way for full hearings at the court on allegations over […]

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