Europe

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian sea drones attacked a major Russian port Friday, damaging a naval ship, according to a Ukrainian official, as the Black Sea becomes an increasingly important battleground in the war. Moscow claimed it repelled the attack.

03 August 2023; MEMO: Seven Danish opposition parties, on Thursday, voiced objection to the government's efforts to make it illegal to burn copies of the Quran, arguing that legislation would be an unacceptable restriction on freedom of expression, Reuters reports.

Outrage in the Muslim world over desecration of the Quran in front of embassies of Muslim countries in Denmark and Sweden has prompted both governments to say they will look for ways to legally restrict the burnings.

04 August 2023; MEMO: An Iranian-born woman has burnt a copy of the Quran in the Swedish capital Stockholm under police protection.

The woman, Bayrami Marjan, 47, set fire to the Quran at the Angbybadet beach in Bromma on the shore of Lake Malaren.

MOSCOW, August 3. /TASS/: The Russian government has included Norway in the list of foreign countries committing unfriendly actions against Russian diplomatic and consular missions abroad, the government’s press service reported.

MOSCOW, August 3. /TASS/: China calls on NATO countries to drop the Cold-War mentality and refuse from plans of expanding eastwards, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said in an interview with TASS.

"We insist that NATO meet the calls of the times, heed the calls of Asia Pacific countries for peace and development, adjust its erroneous attitude, drop the Cold-War mentality and refrain from moving to the Asia Pacific region," he said.

MOSCOW, August 3. /TASS/: The date and location for a meeting between Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are now under consideration and will be agreed upon through diplomatic channels, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"The presidents have generally confirmed their intention to hold a meeting soon. However, a time and a place for the meeting will be further agreed upon through diplomatic channels," he noted.

PYATIGORSK, August 3. /TASS/: Russia’s presidential election in March 2024 will differ from all previous elections, for it may determine not only the fate of the country, but also the future of the entire world, Central Election Commission (CEC) Chairwoman Ella Pamfilova said at the opening ceremony of the "Time for Choosing" forum on the Organization of Training and Mentoring in the Electoral Process in Pyatigorsk, Stavropol Region.

MOSCOW, August 3. /TASS/: President Vladimir Putin proposed on Thursday that Russian state and municipal officials should ride around in cars made in Russia.

"Ministries, agencies, the [presidential] staff offices have asked to continue with purchases focused on foreign-produced cars, to carry on with this practice," Putin said at a meeting with chief executives representing Russia’s manufacturing industry.

"However, I replied that this was totally unacceptable and all Russian officials should be riding in domestically produced cars," Putin added.

LONDON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Greenpeace protesters draped the private home of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in black fabric on Thursday, stepping up their campaign against his government's policy on drilling for oil.

Sunak's record on environmental issues has come under scrutiny in recent months after he said he would take a "proportionate approach" to climate change that balances net zero ambitions with the need to keep consumers' bills down.

LONDON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - The Bank of England raised its key interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to a 15-year peak of 5.25% on Thursday, and gave a new warning that borrowing costs were likely to stay high for some time.

Unlike the U.S. Federal Reserve or the European Central Bank - which also both raised rates by a quarter-point last week - the BoE's Monetary Policy Committee gave little suggestion that rate hikes were about to end as it battles high inflation.