Europe

PARIS (AP) — French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne warned Friday that France is facing the “most severe drought” ever recorded in the country and announced the activation of a government crisis unit.

Borne said that many areas in France are going through a “historic situation” as the country endures its third heatwave this summer.

“The exceptional drought we are currently experiencing is depriving many municipalities of water and is a tragedy for our farmers, our ecosystems and biodiversity,” she said in a statement.

MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin said Friday that it’s open to talking about a possible prisoner exchange involving American basketball star Brittney Griner but strongly warned Washington against publicizing the issue.

Griner, a two-time U.S. Olympic champion and an eight-time all-star with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, has been detained in Russia since Feb. 17 after police at Moscow’s airport said they found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.

BRUSSELS, Aug 4 (APP): Pakistan’s Ambassador to Belgium Dr. Asad Majeed Khan on Thursday underscored that the Indian government had converted the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) into the world’s largest open prison by curbing the liberties and civil rights of the 8 million innocent Kashmiris.

He expressed these views while speaking at a webinar organized by the Embassy of Pakistan in Brussels on the eve of Youm-e-Istehsal Kashmir to express its firm support to the people of IIOJK.

MOSCOW, August 4. /TASS/: The Russian Speed Skating Union (RSSU) will change its official name in September to the Federation of Russian Speed Skating, RSSU President Nikolai Gulyayev told TASS on Thursday.

"We are changing the name in line with the requirements of the Justice Ministry. The new name is the Federation of Russian Speed Skating. It should be approved at the Congress meeting in September," he said.

Gulyayev serves as the president of the Russian Speed Skating Union since early June, when he replaced in this post former President Alexey Kravtsov.

MOSCOW, August 4. /TASS/: Moscow calls on the sides of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to exercise restraint and comply with the ceasefire regime, Russian Foreign Ministry said in its statement Thursday, adding that all controversies must be resolved only by politics and diplomacy.

PARIS, August 4. /TASS/: France has extradited Russian national Alexander Vinnik to Greece, his French lawyer Frederic Belot told TASS.

"Alexander Vinnik has just been sent to Greece," he said.

Belot believes that Greece will soon extradite the Russian to the United States based on an arrest warrant issued by a San Francisco court.

Earlier on Thursday, the Investigative Chamber of the Paris Court of Appeals ruled that Vinnik should be extradited to Greece. The French court also upheld the United States’ request to dismiss its extradition request.

YEREVAN, August 4. /TASS/: Azerbaijan is trying to derail the implementation of the November 9, 2020 Trilateral Statement of the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan on the cessation of hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a government meeting on Thursday.

MOSCOW, August 4. /TASS/: The Bank of Russia believes that it is reasonable to convert accumulated funds of state-owned companies to different currencies, the regulator said on its website.

"It is feasible for nonfinancial organizations to convert accumulated funds in currencies of unfriendly states to other currencies. The release of relevant directives (recommendations) by the Russian government will be justified in respect of companies with the government participation," the Central Bank said.

KYIV, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday branded as "disgusting" the behaviour of ex-German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder,who said Russia wanted a "negotiated solution" to the war.

Schroeder, who is a friend of President Vladimir Putin, said he met the Kremlin leader last week, adding there was even the possibility of slowly reaching a cease-fire.

"It is simply disgusting when former leaders of major states with European values work for Russia, which is at war against these values," Zelenskiy said in a late-night video address.

BERLIN (AP) — A large fire broke out in one of Berlin’s biggest city forests on Thursday, morning triggered by several explosions that took place at an ammunition dump inside the forest on what is forecast to be one of the hottest days of the year.

Around 100 firefighters were battling the blaze in the German capital’s Grunewald forest in the west of the city, German news agency dpa reported.