Europe

Dec 23 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Friday told Russia's defence industry chiefs to up their game to ensure that the Russian army quickly got all the weapons, equipment and military hardware it needed to fight in Ukraine.

Putin, who has cast Russia's war in Ukraine as part of an historic effort to push back against what he says is excessive Western influence over global affairs, made the comments during a visit to Tula, a centre for arms manufacturing.

LONDON, Dec 24 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faced criticism on Saturday for seeming out of touch with ordinary people when he asked a homeless man at a charity whether he "worked in business" and wanted to get into the finance industry.

Sunak, a former Goldman Sachs banker and one of Britain's wealthiest people, was serving breakfast at a homeless shelter in London on Friday, when he began chatting with a man who identified himself as Dean.

PARIS, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Clashes broke out for a second day in Paris on Saturday between police and Kurdish protestors angry at the killing of three members of their community.

Cars were overturned, at least one vehicle was burned, shop windows were damaged and small fires set alight near Republic Square, a traditional venue for demonstrations where Kurds earlier held a peaceful protest.

Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said there had been a sudden violent turn in the protest but it was not yet clear why.

KIEV, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine will require at least 39.5 billion U.S. dollars in external financing next year to keep its economy afloat, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported Friday, citing a recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) projection.

"Staff analysis suggests that external fiscal financing needs would be at least 39.5 billion dollars in a central scenario," the IMF said.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Just a year ago, Sophia Square in Kyiv was all about the big Christmas tree and thousands of lights spreading over the plaza. These final days of 2022, in the middle of a war that has ravaged the country for 10 months, a more modest tree stands there, its blue and yellow lights barely breaking the gloom of the square that is otherwise dark apart from the headlights of cars.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian shells pummeled the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on Saturday, killing seven people and injuring 58 more in the city that Moscow’s forces were forced to abandon last month.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, just back from his quick trip to Washington, posted photos of the wreckage on his social media accounts. He noted the destruction came as Ukrainians were beginning Christmas celebrations that for many Orthodox Christians will culminate in the traditional celebration Jan. 7.

NICE, France (AP) — Tunisia’s increasingly authoritarian president appears determined to upend the country’s political system. The strategy is not only threatening a democracy once seen as a model for the Arab world, experts say it is also sending the economy toward a tailspin.

The International Monetary Fund has frozen an agreement meant to help the government get loans to pay public sector salaries and fill budget gaps aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine.

23 Dec 2022; MEMO: Three Jewish anti-racism activists critical of the state of Israel were reportedly expelled from the UK Labour Party over the past week, which under the leadership of Keir Starmer has been accused of a relentless crackdown of pro-Palestine Jews and left-wing activists.

23 Dec 2022; MEMO: Germany's government is suspending state measures designed to foster business with Iran due to the repression of nationwide protests in the Islamic Republic, the economy ministry said on Friday.

The suspension will affect export credits and investment guarantees as well as Germany's manager training and trade fair programmes in Iran, the ministry said.

German-Iranian trade totalled 1.76 billion euros ($1.87 billion) in 2021.

BRUSSELS, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Thursday it would hold back all 22 billion euros of EU cohesion funds for Hungary until its government meets conditions related to judiciary independence, academic freedoms, LGBTQI rights and the asylum system.

EU institutions had already decided on Dec. 12 to freeze 6.3 billion euros of the funds until the right-wing and eurosceptic government of Viktor Orban meets an even tougher set of 17 conditions also linked to the judiciary and dealing with corruption at high levels.