Europe

TALLINN, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday stressed diplomatic efforts to solve the ongoing Ukraine crisis.

Stoltenberg made the remarks at a joint press conference with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and visiting British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the Tapa Army Base in northern Estonia.

He called for an immediate stop of the war in Ukraine, pullout of Russian forces and the engaging of diplomatic efforts.

MOSCOW, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree introducing temporary economic measures to ensure the country's financial stability, the Kremlin announced Tuesday.

These measures will be taken in response to anti-Russian sanctions by the United States, other countries and international organizations, according to the decree.

Among the measures, Russia will ban the outflow of foreign currencies in an amount exceeding the equivalent of 10,000 U.S. dollars starting Wednesday.

GENEVA (AP) — The number of new coronavirus cases reported globally dropped by 16% last week, marking a month-long decline in COVID-19 infections, according to figures from the World Health Organization.

BERLIN (AP) — The organization that handles claims on behalf of Jews who suffered under the Nazis said Wednesday that Germany has agreed to extend another $720 million (647 million euros) to provide home care and supportive services for frail and vulnerable Holocaust survivors.

The New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, also referred to as the Claims Conference, said the money will be distributed to more than 300 social welfare organizations globally.

BERLIN (AP) — Germany is removing all countries currently on its list of “high-risk areas” as part of a rethink of its coronavirus travel rules that will take effect on Thursday.

The country’s disease control center, the Robert Koch Institute, said that from now on Germany’s list will only include places where high infection rates are linked to variants of COVID-19 that are more virulent than the currently dominant omicron variant, which in many cases leads to relatively mild illness.

MOSCOW (AP) — As Russia’s top diplomat during the invasion of Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is embodying the Kremlin’s defiant posture with a mixture of toughness and sarcasm.

While President Vladimir Putin single-handedly shapes the country’s foreign policy, Lavrov delivers Moscow’s message with a bluntness uncharacteristic of a diplomat.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia renewed its assault Wednesday on Ukraine’s second-largest city in a pounding that lit up the skyline with balls of fire over populated areas, even as both sides said they were ready to resume talks aimed at stopping the new devastating war in Europe.

02 March 2022; MEMO:Old images and footage of Palestinian Ahed Tamimi confronting Israeli soldiers were posted on social media and labelled as "brave" Ukrainian girl confronting Russian soldiers.

02 March 2022; MEMO: Italian oil giant Eni intends to sell its 50 per cent stake in the Blue Stream gas pipeline, which it controls equally with the Russian giant Gazprom, in the wake of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, a company spokesman announced yesterday evening.

02 March 2022; MEMO:Russian President Vladimir Putin and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed vowed to maintain energy market stability, the UAE's state news agency reported yesterday, as crude prices increased after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The agency said the two leaders spoke on the phone and discussed "the energy file in light of Russian cooperation with the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)."