Europe

BERLIN, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Germany on Wednesday set out plans to legalise cannabis, in a move promised by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government that would make it one of the first countries in Europe to make weed legal.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach presented a cornerstone paper on planned legislation to regulate the controlled distribution and consumption of cannabis for recreational purposes among adults.

Acquiring and possessing up to 20 to 30 grams of recreational cannabis for personal consumption would also be made legal.

MOSCOW, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday barred more persons of the European Union member states from entering Russia in response to their anti-Russian actions.

Among the newly blacklisted are representatives of European manufacturers of weapons and military equipment supplied to Ukraine and some lawmakers of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the ministry said in a statement.

The Russian side did not specify who are subject to the travel ban.

ROME, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- The new Italian cabinet led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni won the confidence of the lower house of parliament on Tuesday, with 235 votes in favor, 154 against and five abstentions.

The cabinet must now pass the second confidence test in the senate on Wednesday in order to become fully operative.

Ahead of the vote, Meloni outlined the key points of her government's program, vowing to lead the country as best she can through what she described as some of the toughest times in decades. She also pledged to follow European Union (EU) rules.

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held the first meeting of his new Cabinet before facing the opposition in Parliament on Wednesday for the first time as leader.

Sunak took office on Tuesday and appointed a government mixing allies with experienced ministers from the governments of his two immediate predecessors, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, as he tries to tackle Britain’s multiple economic problems.

Sunak’s office said the lineup “reflects a unified party” and aims to ensure “that at this uncertain time, there is continuity at the heart of government.”

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Natural gas and electricity prices in Europe have plunged from summer peaks thanks to mild weather and a monthslong scramble to fill gas storage ahead of winter and replace Russian supplies during the war in Ukraine. It’s a welcome respite after Russia slashed natural gas flows, triggering an energy crisis that has fueled record inflation and a looming recession.

(AP) --- The mobilized reservists that Russian President Vladimir Putin visited last week at a firing range southeast of Moscow looked picture-perfect.

Kremlin video of the young men headed for the war in Ukraine showed them in mint-condition uniforms, equipped with all the gear needed for combat: helmets, bulletproof vests and sleeping bags. When Putin asked if they had any problems, they shook their heads.

MOSCOW, October 25. /TASS/: Russia does not see any "preconditions, grounds, or hope" for building more constructive relations with Great Britain in the foreseeable future, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday, commenting on the appointment of Rishi Sunak as the UK’s new prime minister.

"No, at present, we do not see any preconditions, grounds or hopes for some positive shifts in the foreseeable future," the Russian presidential spokesman said, commenting on the prospects of warmer relations between the two countries with the appointment of the UK’s new premier.

MOSCOW, October 25. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin is holding talks on Tuesday Moscow with his counterpart from Guinea-Bissau, Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Umaro Sissoco Embalo.

The Kremlin press office reported earlier that the two leaders were set to exchange views on the prospects for the development of relations between Russia and Guinea-Bissau as well as on the key regional and international issues.

LONDON, October 25. /TASS/: The world still needs Russian oil to flow to the market despite sanctions imposed by the West and the intention to introduce an oil price cap, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Fatih Birol said on Tuesday.

The world will still need Russian oil to flow to the market despite a price cap, with between 80% to 90% an "encouraging level" to meet demand, Reuters quoted Birol as saying during the Singapore International Energy Week.

MOSCOW, October 25. /TASS/: Russia’s COVID-19 case tally rose by 6,578 over the past day to 21,386,842, the anti-coronavirus crisis center reported on Tuesday.

In absolute terms, the country has been recording less than 10,000 daily cases for the fifth day in a row. A day earlier, 7,329 daily cases were recorded.