Europe

PARIS, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy refused to answer questions as he appeared as a witness in a trial in which his former aides are accused of misusing public funds on polling contracts, BFM TV reported on Tuesday.

"As President of the Republic, I am not accountable to the court but to the French people," BFM quoted Sarkozy as saying.

Sarkozy, who has presidential immunity in this specific case, had initially said he would not appear as a witness after being tried and convicted twice this year in separate cases.

SARAJEVO, Nov 2 (Reuters) - The U.S.-sponsored peace deal that ended war in Bosnia in the 1990s is at risk of unravelling unless the international community takes measures to stop Serb separatists, a peace envoy warned in a report to the United Nations seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

In his first report in the capacity of the international community's High Representative in Bosnia, German politician Christian Schmidt said that Bosnia was facing the greatest threat to its existence since the war.

"The prospects for further division and conflict are very real," Schmidt wrote.

PISTOIA, Italy, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was met by jeering protesters when he visted the Italian town of Pistoia on Tuesday to pay homage to a war memorial dedicated to Brazilian soldiers killed in World War Two.

The right-wing leader, who attended the Group of 20 summit in Rome last weekend, has been criticized for increased deforestation in the Amazon under his government and for his management of the COVID-19 pandemic. His opponents also accuse him of dictatorial behaviour.

GLASGOW, Nov 2 (Reuters) - The developed world's $100 billion climate financing target could be met a year earlier than expected, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said on Tuesday, citing new commitments made earlier in the day by Japan.

In 2009, the developed countries most responsible for global warming pledged to provide $100 billion per year by 2020 to help developing nations deal with its consequences. That commitment is currently not expected to be met until 2023.

PARIS, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- France and Britain will hold an in-depth meeting here on Thursday to discuss their dispute over post-Brexit fishing rights, the French newspaper Le Figaro reported on Tuesday.

French presidential office Elysee announced on Monday evening that no retaliatory sanctions against Britain will come into force before Thursday when renewed talks will be held in Paris, the paper reported.

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — More than 100 countries pledged Tuesday to end deforestation in the coming decade — a promise that experts say would be critical to limiting climate change but one that has been made and broken before.

Britain hailed the commitment as the first big achievement of the U.N. climate conference known as COP26 taking place this month in the Scottish city of Glasgow. But campaigners say they need to see the details to understand its full impact.

GLASGOW, November 1. /TASS/: World leaders need to be on "a war-like footing" and launch a "vast military-style campaign" in order to tackle the climate change crisis, Prince Charles said in his address to the climate summit in Glasgow on Monday.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us just how devastating a global, cross-border threat can be. Climate change and biodiversity loss are no different — in fact, they pose an even greater existential threat, to the extent that we have to put ourselves on what might be called a war-like footing," the Prince of Wales said.

SOCHI, November 1. /TASS/: The US warship that has entered the Black Sea can be clearly seen through a binocular or a sight of Russia’s defense capabilities, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday, opening a series of traditional defense industry meetings in Sochi.

"As you know, a US warship has now entered the Black Sea. We can look at it through a binocular or through a sight of the corresponding defense systems," Putin said.

MOSCOW, November 1. /TASS/: Gas supplies to China over the Power of Siberia gas pipeline set a new record on October 31 and were more than 19% above daily commitments, Gazprom reports on Monday.

"Gas supplies to China over the Power of Siberia continue growing. On October 31, supplies at the request of the Chinese side reached a new record level and were more than 19% above daily contract commitments of Gazprom," the company says.

MOSCOW, November 1. / TASS /: Russia does not shrink from the Normandy format meetings, it was Kiev that "has not lifted a finger" in order to fulfill the agreements reached at the 2019 summit in Paris, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the Russia-24 TV channel on Monday.