Europe

27 Feb 2019; DW: The apparent violation of Germany's arms export control regulations by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, revealed by DW and other news outlets on Tuesday, has drawn angry reactions from opposition politicians and anti-arms trade activists.

STOCKHOLM, February 27. /TASS/. The Swedish Security Police (SAPO) have taken a man into custody suspected of spying for Russia, the press service said on Wednesday.

"A man suspected of illegal intelligence activity against Sweden has been detained. The security police are carrying out a preliminary investigation, led by prosecutors from the national security department," the statement said.

MOSCOW, February 27. /TASS/. A unique transparent with a visible yellow shade, gem-quality rough diamond weighing 98.8 carats was mined at Zapolyarnaya kimberlite pipe, which is the part of the Verkhne-Munskoye diamond deposit on February 17, 2019, Russia’s diamond producer Alrosa said in a statement on Wednesday.

MOSCOW, February 27. /TASS/. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Wednesday that Russian structures including the Russian presidential website have regularly experienced cyber attacks from the US and Europe, when commenting on a report by The Washington Post claiming that the US military had carried out a cyber attack against Russia’s Internet Research Agency in the run-up to the 2018 midterm elections.

MOSCOW, February 27. /TASS/. The Kalashnikov Group, the maker of the renowned AK-47 assault rifle, has completed the acquisition of ship-building assets, gaining a full set of competences for this activity, Kalashnikov CEO Vladimir Dmitriyev told TASS on Wednesday.

HANOI, February 28. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un have ended expanded negotiations in Hanoi on Thursday, a TASS correspondent reported from the scene.

The main negotiation part of the summit lasted more than two hours. Now the two state leaders will have a working dinner. It is being held at Le Club Bar restaurant.

Apart from the two state leaders, five people from each side are also taking part in the working dinner.

27 Feb 2019; AFP: The Netherlands announced Tuesday the surprise purchase of a stake in Air France-KLM, saying it needed to protect Dutch interests after a series of rows about the alliance's management.

Paris reacted testily to the Dutch purchase of the 12.68 percent share -- which puts it on course to match France's own holding -- saying that Air France-KLM must be free of "state interference".

26 Feb 2019; DW: Meat from animals which are not stunned before slaughter cannot be labeled organic, the EU's top court has ruled. The organic standard places a high emphasis on animal welfare.

The meat from animals slaughtered under ritualistic practices cannot be labeled as organic, the European Union's top court ruled on Tuesday.

The EU organic standard places a high emphasis on animal welfare and ritualistic slaughter does not reach its threshold, the European Court of Justice found.

27 Feb 2019; DW: Facebook has taken harsh measures against British far-right personality Tommy Robinson, banning him from its platforms and closing his Facebook page and Instagram profile.

Robinson is said to have violated Facebook's "community standards" by promoting "organized hate" and other prohibited behavior.

26 Feb 2019; DW: A United Nations conference secured $2.6 billion (€2.3 billion) in pledges on Tuesday to aid the millions of people facing starvation in war-torn Yemen.

The pledges were up by 30 percent from the amount secured during last year's aid drive.

"Today's pledging conference can be considered a success," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in Geneva at the end of the day-long conference.