Europe

PARIS, Aug 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Extreme weather is wreaking havoc upon virtually all of the world’s largest cotton suppliers.

In India, the top-producing country, heavy rains and pests have cut into cotton crops so much that the nation is importing supplies. A heat wave in China is raising concerns about the upcoming harvest there.

BERLIN, Aug 21 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday called the monthly 9 euro ticket for public transport that his government introduced to help offset soaring inflation a "big success" and announced talks for a follow-up scheme.

Germany's coalition government of Scholz's Social Democrats, Greens and Free Democrats introduced the tickets that cover all local and regional public transport nationwide for June, July and August as part of a series of measures to help households.

LONDON, Aug 21 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the leaders of the United States, France and Germany on Sunday stressed the importance of ensuring the safety of nuclear sites in Ukraine in a call, Johnson's office said.

"On a joint call, the Prime Minister, President (Joe) Biden, President (Emmanuel) Macron and Chancellor (Olaf) Scholz underlined their steadfast commitment to supporting Ukraine in the face of Russia's invasion," a Downing Street spokesperson said in a statement.

BERLIN, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Around two thirds of Germans are unhappy with the work of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his fractious coalition, which has faced crisis after crisis since taking office in December, according to a survey published on Sunday.

Only 25 % of Germans believe the Social Democrat is doing his job well, down from 46% in March, according to the poll by Insa for "Bild am Sonntag" weekly newspaper.

LONDON, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Lisa O'Neill scrutinizes her bank account to look for possible ways to economize, reviewing her income and outgoings, fearing her family may no longer be able to make ends meet with a staggering rise in energy bills just around the corner.

The working mom-of-four is preparing for a sweeping cost-of-living crisis in the UK.

"We have cancelled a private pension and are using the money we were paying on that to go towards our bills," said O'Neill, who lives just outside Liverpool, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

LONDON (AP) — The first day of a planned strike at Britain’s biggest container port started Sunday, joining a series of walkouts by transportation workers that have disrupted economic activity across the country.

Almost 2,000 workers at the Port of Felixstowe, located about 150 kilometers (93 miles) northeast of London, walked off the jobs over pay, raising fears of severe supply chain problems. The port handles around 4 million containers a year from 2,000 ships – almost half of the country’s incoming shipping freight.

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia’s president called on NATO on Sunday to “do their job” in Kosovo or he says Serbia itself will move to protect its minority in the breakaway province.

The fiery televised address to his nation by President Aleksandar Vucic followed the collapse of political talks between Serbian and Kosovo leaders earlier this week mediated by the European Union in Brussels.

LONDON (AP) — For years, global health officials have used billions of drops of an oral vaccine in a remarkably effective campaign aimed at wiping out polio in its last remaining strongholds — typically, poor, politically unstable corners of the world.

Now, in a surprising twist in the decades-long effort to eradicate the virus, authorities in Jerusalem, New York and London have discovered evidence that polio is spreading there.

The original source of the virus? The oral vaccine itself.

MECKENHEIM, Germany (AP) — Martin Kopf needs natural gas to run his family’s company, Zinkpower GmbH, which rustproofs steel components in western Germany.

Zinkpower’s facility outside Bonn uses gas to keep 600 tons of zinc worth 2.5 million euros ($2.5 million) in a molten state every day. The metal will harden otherwise, wrecking the tank where steel parts are dipped before they end up in car suspensions, buildings, solar panels and wind turbines.

MOSCOW (AP) — The daughter of an influential Russian political theorist often referred to as “Putin’s brain” was killed in a car bombing on the outskirts of Moscow, authorities said Sunday.

The Moscow branch of the Russian Investigative Committee said preliminary information indicated 29-year-old TV commentator Daria Dugina was killed by an explosive planted in the SUV she was driving Saturday night.