Europe

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union reached a landmark deal early Saturday to take aim at hate speech, disinformation and other harmful online content.

The law will force big tech companies to police themselves harder, make it easier for users to flag problems and empower regulators to punish noncompliance with billions in fines.

BERLIN (AP) — Twitter says it will no longer allow advertisers on its site who deny the scientific consensus on climate change, echoing a policy already in place at Google.

“Ads shouldn’t detract from important conversations about the climate crisis,” the company said in a statement outlining its new policy Friday.

There was no indication that the change would affect what users post on the social media site, which along with Facebook has been targeted by groups seeking to promote misleading claims about climate change.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces attacked a steel plant in the shattered Ukrainian port city of Mariupol on Saturday, Ukrainian officials said, apparently seeking to eliminate the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance in the strategic city the Kremlin claims its military has otherwise seized.

23 April 2022; MEMO: The Brussels Short Film Festival has removed Israel from its list of partners in the event on 30 April, a statement issued by the Belgian Palestinian Friendship Association announced on Friday.

ROME, April 22. /TASS/: Europe will continue to provide military aid to Ukraine and will increase it, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said in an interview with the Repubblica newspaper published on Friday, noting that the goal is to "prevent Moscow’s attempts to establish control over Ukraine."

BERLIN, April 22. /TASS/: An abrupt gas embargo would not bring quick peace to Ukraine and it is important for Germany to avoid a serious economic crisis, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in an interview published in Spiegel magazine.

WARSAW, April 22. /TASS/: Poland considers the cancellation of oil supply contracts that were previously concluded with Russia, Polish Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure Piotr Naimski said on Radio Wnet on Friday.

Asked whether Warsaw plans to cancel oil supply contracts with Russia, Naimski said that there are such plans. "There is an intention to cancel oil contracts. This is absolutely realistic. Anyone who produces crude oil may be a source of supplies to Poland," he said.

MOSCOW, April 22. /TASS/: China resolutely opposes any discrimination and politicization of sports and jointly with Russia will stand shouldering the true spirits of sports, as well as supporting each other, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said on Friday.

Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin held a meeting on Friday with ambassadors to Russia representing member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which is comprised of China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

MOSCOW, April 22. /TASS/: Russia's financial position is stable, default is out of the question, Head of VTB Andrey Kostin said in an interview with Rossiya 24 TV channel.

"Real default is out of the question. Russia’s financial position always was and still is very stable, reserves of the Bank of Russia exceed the entire state external debt. There would be no problems with settlements if there was at least some rational policy from our Western partners," he said.

MOSCOW, April 22. /TASS/: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that he briefed the Kazakh side in detail on progress in the Russian special operation in Ukraine and shared opinions of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, which proceed very slowly.