Europe

BERLIN (AP) — On the second anniversary of the poisoning attack on Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, Germany and the United States hailed the determination of the Kremlin critic who is still imprisoned in Russia on charges those nations consider politically motivated.

“He barely survived the assassination attempt. He was able to recover in Germany,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a video message released Saturday, praising the Russian dissident’s bravery for going back to his homeland.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — With more of a whisper than a resounding clang, Greece has shed another restriction dating to its painful financial bailout years.

Saturday’s formal end of “enhanced surveillance” by European Union creditors means the country will no longer face quarterly scrutiny of its public finances to win debt relief payments.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian authorities on Saturday reported shooting down Ukrainian drones in Crimea, while Ukrainian officials said Russian forces pressed ahead with efforts to seize one of the few cities in eastern Ukraine not already under their control and kept up their strikes on communities in the north and south.

MOSCOW, August 19. /TASS/: US media outlets seek to launch another campaign to discredit Russia’s activities in the Central African Republic, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Friday.

"We have taken note of recent reports in the US media, which appear to be trying to launch another campaign to discredit Russia’s activities on the African continent, particularly in the Central African Republic," the statement reads.

MOSCOW, August 19. /TASS/: Russia took third place among countries using China’s yuan in international payments in July as its share on the global foreign exchange market soared 6.3-fold in just three months, Forbes magazine revealed, citing statistics provided by the SWIFT international payment system.

MOSCOW, August 19. /TASS/: Gas supplies via Nord Stream will be completely stopped from August 31 to September 2 due to the repair of the only gas compressor unit remaining in operation, Gazprom said in a statement.

"On August 31, 2022, the only working Trent 60 gas compressor unit will be shut down for three days for maintenance and scheduled preventive work. A set of routine maintenance in accordance with the current maintenance contract will be carried out jointly with Siemens specialists," the statement said.

GENEVA, Aug 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The World Health Organization’s vaccine advisers recommended that people most at risk from Covid-19 should be offered a second booster dose to increase their immunity.

The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE) said following initial vaccination, typically consisting of two doses, and an already recommended first booster dose, specific groups of people should be offered an additional jab.

BRUSSELS, Aug 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The European Union welcomes Turkiye’ decision to appoint an ambassador to Israel and restore full diplomatic relations with the country after a four-year rupture, EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi said.

“I welcome the announcement between Turkiye and Israel to restore full diplomatic ties,” Varhelyi wrote on Twitter, adding that such a decision represents “another milestone in strengthening bilateral relations, stabilizing the region and fostering prosperity.”

ROME, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Italy's centre-left Democratic Party (PD) will offer teenagers a "dowry" of up to 10,000 euros ($10,035) when they turn 18, the party said in its manifesto made public on Friday ahead of next month's election, perhaps the most eye-catching promise in a 37-page programme.

The PD faces an arduous task of preventing a rightist victory at the Sept. 25 ballot. Its manifesto contains big pledges such as offering workers the equivalent of an extra month's salary and building 500,000 homes in a social housing programme.

WARSAW, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Finland's prime minister had good reason to go out and celebrate, because her country is joining NATO, her Polish counterpart said on Friday, backing Sanna Marin's right to party as she faces a storm of criticism at home over leaked videos of a night out.

Marin said on Friday she had taken a drugs test following the publication of video footage this week that showed her partying with friends. She vowed she had never used illegal drugs and said her ability to perform her official duties had remained unimpaired on the Saturday night in question.