Europe

COWES, Isle of Wight, England (Reuters) - Princess Anne, the daughter of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, was on Wednesday seen in public for the first time since the death of her father last week.

Philip died at Windsor Castle on Friday, aged 99.

Anne, 70, dressed in black and in sunglasses, arrived at the Royal Yacht Squadron, a sailing club in Cowes on the Isle of Wight.

13 Apr 2021; MEMO: Amnesty France on Tuesday urged the Macron government to withdraw discriminatory provisions adopted in an amended version of a controversial bill confirming respect for the principles of the Republic that targets the French Muslim population, Anadolu Agency reported.

The rights group expressed concerns about the bill passed Monday by the Senate that includes new amendments under the guise of fighting extremism.

New Delhi, Apr 13 (PTI) French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Tuesday said that the country has set a target of having 20,000 Indian students in France by 2025.

There were 10,000 Indian students studying in the European nation in 2019, according to officials at the French Embassy.

"We have set a target -- it is to have 20,000 Indian students in France by 2025, and we will make it. We want to bring French and Indian youth even closer," Minister Le Drian said.

MADRID, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Tuesday said it saw signs of "stable growth" in Spain and ascribed this to the revival in the country's economic activity since February.

The organization uses the composite leading indicator (CLI) to "anticipate turning points in economic activity relative to trend."

BRUSSELS (AP) — President Joe Biden urged Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to “de-escalate tensions” following a Russian military buildup on Ukraine’s border in their second tense call of Biden’s young presidency.

Biden also told Putin the U.S. would “act firmly in defense of its national interests” regarding Russian cyber intrusions and election interference, according to the White House. Biden proposed a summit in a third country “in the coming months” to discuss the full range of U.S.-Russia issues, the White House said.

KIEV, April 13. /TASS/: Ukraine wants to settle the conflict in Donbass by political and diplomatic means and has no plans to regain control of its eastern territories by military means but it is ready for possible escalation of the situation in the region, Alexei Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said on Tuesday at a meeting with EU ambassadors.

MOSCOW, April 13. /TASS/: The issue of expediency of continuing Russia’s participation in the International Space Station (ISS) project was discussed at the space meeting chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 12, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.

"Indeed, it was said at the meeting that the ISS and our segment are not eternal. The construction wears out with time and an ultimate decision will have to be made sooner or later. The expediency of continuing this work <…> was indeed emphasized at the meeting," he said.

MOSCOW, April 13. /TASS/: Larger spending on space explorations will enable Russia to send three missions to the Moon and actively engage in the second lunar race, President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Sergeyev said at a session of the Academy’s Presidium on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, April 13. /TASS/: Johnson & Johnson has postponed the use of its vaccine in European countries following reports about the jab’s possible connection to the formation of blood clots, the company said in a press release on Tuesday.

The company notes that the decision was made after the recommendation of American regulators to suspend the use of the drug in the United States due to the possible side effects that the vaccine can cause. In particular six cases of formation of blood clots post-vaccination were registered in the country.

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain’s government has opened an independent investigation into failed finance company Greensill Capital after lobbying by former Prime Minister David Cameron raised questions over its access to ministers.

Australian banker Lex Greensill was brought in as an adviser to the government while Cameron was British prime minister from 2010 to 2016. After leaving office, Cameron in turn became an adviser to Greensill’s now-insolvent company.