Next Generation EU: an underused facility?
By Maria Demertzis
The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the main component of the European Union’s post-COVID-19 Next Generation EU programme, was adopted two and a half years ago. ...
Outspoken Ukrainian ex-ambassador named deputy minister
Ukraine’s outspoken former ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, has been appointed to the post of deputy foreign minister, a senior official said on Friday.
Taras Melnychuk, the government’s ...
Cyprus and India eye measures to combat illegal immigration
Measures to overcome immigration issues, given the significant number of Indian nationals illegally residing in Cyprus, were discussed by the Interior Minister Nicos Nouris with India’s Deputy Interior Minister ...
Kenya, Rwanda request M23 ceasefire and withdrawal from east Congo
Kenya’s former president Uhuru Kenyatta and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame have agreed on the need for M23 rebels to cease fire and withdraw from captured territories in east ...
France, Germany, Spain agree on moving on with FCAS warplane development
France, Germany and Spain have reached agreement on starting the next phase of development of a new fighter jet dubbed FCAS, Europe’s largest defence project at an estimated cost ...
Lebanon’s top judge decries political meddling, calls for ‘revolution’ in courts
Lebanon’s most senior judge on Friday said meddling by the political leadership in the work of the judiciary had led to a chaotic situation that required a “revolution in ...
Female referees will not face cultural or religious restrictions, says chief
Female referees at the World Cup will not face restrictions based on cultural or religious grounds in matches involving conservative nations such as Iran, Saudi Arabia or Qatar, referees chief ...
Ukraine says half energy system crippled, Kyiv facing possible ‘shutdown’ (Wrapup)
Russian missile strikes have crippled almost half of Ukraine’s energy system, the government said on Friday, and authorities in the capital Kyiv warned that the city could face a “...
From COP27 to Portugal, Brazil’s Lula on mission to improve foreign ties
Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva travelled from the COP27 summit in Egypt to Portugal on Friday to meet officials, showing that improving foreign ties and the country’s ...
UK civil servants plan winter strike unless demands are met
Thousands of British civil servants are planning for one month of “sustained industrial action” through the winter in an ongoing pay dispute, the head of the Public and Commercial Services ...
Russia warms to US prisoner swap for arms trader Bout
Russia said on Friday it hoped to clinch a prisoner swap with the United States to return convicted Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death”, in ...
No alcohol sales permitted at Qatar’s World Cup stadium sites
In a reversal, alcoholic beer will not be sold at Qatar’s World Cup stadiums, world soccer governing body FIFA said in a statement on Friday.
The announcement comes two ...
Turkish court arrests 17 suspects over Istanbul blast
A Turkish court ordered the pre-trial detention of 17 people suspected of being involved in an explosion this week in central Istanbul that killed six people, the state-owned Anadolu news agency ...
Biden administration says Saudi prince has immunity in Khashoggi killing lawsuit
The Biden administration has ruled that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has immunity from a lawsuit over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, drawing immediate condemnation from the slain ...
Russia not ruling out more talks with U.S., foreign ministry says
Russia is not ruling out further high-level meetings with the United States on “strategic stability”, Moscow’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Friday, as an upcoming meeting between ...
UK’s Hunt, criticised by some Conservatives, defends tax hikes
British finance minister Jeremy Hunt challenged critics within the Conservative Party who are unhappy with his plan for higher taxes, saying on Friday that his new budget was needed to ...
Traces of explosives found at Nord Stream pipelines, Sweden says
Investigators have found traces of explosives at the site of the damaged Nord Stream pipelines, confirming that sabotage had taken place, a Swedish prosecutor said on Friday.
Swedish and Danish ...
UK retail sales recover only partially as outlook darkens
British retail sales staged only a partial rebound last month after shops closed in September for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, and they remained below their pre-pandemic level as soaring ...
Ukraine energy supply under persistent Russian attacks
Russian missiles and shells hit Ukrainian positions in several regions and there was no let up in heavy fighting in Donetsk in the east, the Ukrainian military said on Thursday ...
North Korea fires suspected intercontinental ballistic missile, lands near Japan
North Korea fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile on Friday that landed just 200 kilometres (130 miles) off Japan and had sufficient range to reach the mainland of the United States, Japanese ...
UN nuclear watchdog board again urges Russia to end actions at Ukrainian plants
The U.N. nuclear watchdog’s 35-nation Board of Governors on Thursday passed its third resolution since the outbreak of war in Ukraine calling on Russia to end all actions ...
‘Wave’ of lawsuits over FTX expected, but investors will face legal hurdles
A lawsuit by FTX account holders in the United States is likely the first of many that will be brought over billions of dollars in losses on the cryptocurrency exchange, ...
At least 21 killed, several others hurt in Gaza Strip fire
At least 21 people were killed and several others injured when a fire broke out in a building where residents attended a party in the Gaza Strip, health and civil emergency ...
Parents of slain blogger Gabby Petito settle case against boyfriend’s estate
The parents of Gabby Petito, the 22-year-old travel blogger whose disappearance and murder captivated Americans last year, have reached a $3 million settlement in the wrongful death lawsuit they filed against ...