Europe

MOSCOW, October 27. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin did not convey any special message on possible dialogue between Moscow and Kiev to his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky via President of Guinea-Bissau Umaro Sissoco Embalo, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Thursday.

MOSCOW, October 27. /TASS/: Russia will determine its position regarding the food deal extension by November 18, official spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday.

"We will establish our position by November 18, based on the actual data," Zakharova said.

Problems arising in respect of the food deal should be overcome cooperatively, the diplomat added.

MOSCOW, October 27. /TASS/: Russia has never considered and does not consider itself an enemy of the West, despite the ongoing conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, speaking at the Valdai International Discussion Club plenary meeting Thursday.

"In current circumstances of brutal conflict - I will say some things straight - Russia, being an independent, self-sufficient civilization, has never considered and does not consider itself an enemy of the West," he said.

LONDON, Oct 27 (Reuters) - A senior Russian foreign ministry official said that commercial satellites from the United States and its allies could become legitimate targets for Russia if they were involved in the war in Ukraine.

Russia, which in 1957 launched Sputnik 1, the first manmade satellite, into space and in 1961 put the first man in outer space, has a significant offensive space capability - as do the United States and China. In 2021, Russia launched an anti-satellite missile to destroy one of its own satellites.

LONDON, Oct 27 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the world faced the most dangerous decade since World War Two as Western elites scrambled to prevent the inevitable crumbling of the global dominance of the United States and its allies.

In one of his longest public appearances since he sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, Putin signalled he had no regrets about what he calls "a special operation" and accused the West of inciting the war and of playing a "dangerous, bloody and dirty" game that was sowing chaos across the world.

PARIS, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Today's energy crisis is causing profound and long-lasting changes that have the potential to hasten the transition to a more sustainable and secure energy system, according to World Energy Outlook 2022 published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) on Thursday.

The biggest tremors of the energy crisis have been felt in the markets for natural gas, coal and electricity, with significant turmoil in oil markets as well. With unrelenting geopolitical and economic concerns, energy markets remain extremely vulnerable, said the Outlook.

SKOPJE, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) will provide 500 million euros (504 million U.S. dollars) in grants for the Western Balkan countries to tackle energy crisis, European Commission chief said here Wednesday.

The energy support package will help the whole Western Balkan region to invest in energy connections, energy efficiency and renewable energy, said Ursula von der Leyen at a joint press conference with North Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank piled on another outsized interest rate hike aimed at squelching out-of-control inflation, increasing rates at the fastest pace in the euro currency’s history and underscoring the bank’s determination to control prices despite the threat of recession.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — China has reportedly established dozens of “overseas police stations” in nations around the world that activists fear could be used to track and harass dissidents as part of Beijing’s crackdown on corruption.

Information about the outposts underscored concerns about the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s influence over its citizens abroad, sometimes in ways deemed illegal by other countries, as well as the undermining of democratic institutions and the the theft of economic and political secrets by bodies affiliated with the one-party state.

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will not attend a major United Nations climate conference next month, the government said Thursday.

Sunak’s office said the decision was made because of “pressing domestic commitments” including preparations for an emergency budget on Nov. 17 and does not reflect a downgrade in the Conservative government’s commitment to combating climate change. Other senior U.K. government ministers are expected to attend.