Europe

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A general strike in Greece called in response to a rail disaster last month grounded flights and extensively disrupted services, with protests in cities across the country planned for Thursday.

The strike also kept ferries to the Greek islands at port, left public hospitals running with emergency staff, halted public transport services and led to class cancellations at state-run schools.

15 Mar 2023; MEMO: Ukraine thanked Turkiye on Wednesday for its support for the Black Sea Grain Initiative as the agreement, which was also signed by Russia and the UN, is due to expire Saturday, Anadolu News Agency reports.

GENEVA (AP) — Swiss bank Credit Suisse said Thursday it will move to shore up its finances, borrowing up to $54 billion from the central bank after its shares plunged, dragging down other major European lenders in the wake of bank failures in the United States.

Credit Suisse said would exercise an option to borrow up to 50 billion francs ($53.7 billion) from the central bank.

MOSCOW, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday said the theory that Ukrainian activists were involved in the Nord Stream pipelines blast last year is "complete nonsense," alleging the United States is behind what he called a "terrorist attack."

GENEVA (AP) — Shares in the globally connected Swiss bank Credit Suisse plunged Wednesday and dragged down other major European lenders as fears about deeper problems in the world banking system spread in the wake of bank failures in the United States.

At one point, Credit Suisse shares lost more than a quarter of their value, hitting a record low after the bank’s biggest shareholder — the Saudi National Bank — told news outlets that it would not inject more money into the bank, which was beset by problems long before the U.S. banks collapsed.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian fighter jet struck the propeller of a U.S. surveillance drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday in a “brazen violation of international law,” causing American forces to bring down the unmanned aerial vehicle, the U.S. said.

But Russia insisted its warplanes didn’t hit the MQ-9 Reaper drone. Instead, it said the drone maneuvered sharply and crashed into the water following an encounter with Russian fighter jets that had been scrambled to intercept it near Crimea.

NEAR KREMINNA, Ukraine, March 14 (Reuters) - Ukraine's future hinges on the outcome of battles in the east, including in and around Bakhmut, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, with both sides describing brutal fighting as Russia intensifies a winter campaign to capture the small city.

Bakhmut has become the focus of Russia's invasion, with the months-long fight becoming Europe's bloodiest infantry battle since World War Two.

LONDON, March 14 (Reuters) - Binance is halting its sterling deposits and withdrawals, a company spokesperson said on Tuesday, a month after the world's largest crypto exchange ceased dollar transfers.

Binance has been informed by its partner for sterling transfers, Paysafe, that it would halt its services from May 22, the spokesperson said, impacting all Binance customers.

Sterling transfers for new users were stopped on Monday, it said.

LONDON, March 14 (Reuters) - Global shares fell for a sixth day on Tuesday as a brewing U.S. banking crisis prompted investors to downgrade their expectations for interest rate hikes, even ahead of key inflation data later in the day.

As recently as a week ago, investors were just recovering from a reality-check that prompted many to assume that rates around the world were likely to head much higher and stay there for longer than previously expected.

BARNSLEY, England, March 14 (Reuters) - Frustrated with England's education system, Simon Biltcliffe spends a lot of time training new hires at his marketing firm in the "soft skills" he and many employers say the country's sluggish economy badly needs.

Finding that new starters often struggle to think on their feet, he sets them workplace challenges to learn to solve problems at pace and in teams. Many don't adapt, leading to high attrition after three- and six-month reviews.