Europe

MOSCOW, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Russia accused the United States on Thursday of ramping up tensions and ignoring Moscow's calls to ease a standoff over Ukraine, a day after Washington announced it would deploy nearly 3,000 extra troops to Poland and Romania.

Ukraine says Russia has built up115,000 troops near its borders, stoking fears of a looming attack. Moscow denies any such plan, but Washington said on Wednesday it would send extra forces to shield eastern Europe from any crisis spillover. 

ROME, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Sergio Mattarella urged Italians to pull together to support the country's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic after he was sworn in for a second term as Italy's president on Thursday.

The reappointment of Mattarella, who had initially been reluctant to sign up for a second seven-year term, brought some temporary respite to tensions within Italy's broad, ruling coalition after a week of fruitless efforts to find a successor. 

LONDON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Scotland will need checkpoints along its border with England for the first time in more than three centuries if it votes for independence and rejoins the European Union, according to a think tank report published on Thursday.

The pro-independence Scottish National Party, which heads the Scottish government, wants to hold a second referendum on breaking away from the United Kingdom by the end of next year.

LONDON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - One of the world's leading infectious disease experts said on Thursday the collapse of global collaboration during COVID-19 made the pandemic "far worse" and continues to put the world at greater pandemic risk than at any point in his working life.

Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust who quit as a UK government adviser in November, has previously bemoaned failures in international cooperation on COVID-19 but his new remarks amount to his strongest criticism yet of world leaders.

MADRID, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Spain Economy Minister Nadia Calvino on Thursday said she would no longer attend events if women were not equally represented among the speakers.

Calvino, who is also deputy prime minister in a socialist-led government where women outnumber men for the first time in Spanish history, said progress on gender diversity in Spain risked backsliding.

BERLIN, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Britain should respect post-Brexit trade rules or else face consequences, a German official said on Thursday as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was "crazy" to have checks on goods heading from Britain only to Northern Ireland.

Tensions over the Northern Ireland protocol, signed as part of Britain's exit from the European Union, flared again after Belfast ordered an immediate halt on Wednesday on checks on agri-foods, earning a rebuke from Brussels.

BRUSSELS, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Natural gas and nuclear energy are included in the European Union's (EU) taxonomy as sustainable investments for the private sector, European Commissioner in charge of Financial Services Mairead McGuinness said on Wednesday.

In a Taxonomy Complementary Climate Delegated Act on climate change mitigation and adaptation, the European Commission includes natural gas and nuclear energy in its plan for building a climate-friendly future, labeling investments in natural gas and nuclear projects sustainable under certain conditions.

LISBON, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa announced on Wednesday that Antonio Costa has been nominated to continue as head of the country's new government.

The decision was announced in a note published on the official website of the Presidency of the Portuguese Republic. In accordance with Portuguese law, the appointment was made as a result of the legislative elections on Jan. 30, after having heard the political parties represented in the new Assembly of the Republic.

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed concern Thursday that Russia is continuing its military buildup around Ukraine, and that it has now deployed more troops and military equipment to Belarus than at any time in 30 years.

LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England raised interest rates for the second time in three months on Thursday, putting the United Kingdom far ahead of the rest of Europe and the U.S. in moving to tame surging inflation that is squeezing consumers and businesses.

The bank’s monetary policy committee boosted its key rate 0.5% from 0.25%. It also said it would stop reinvesting the proceeds from maturing securities in the 875 billion pounds ($1.19 trillion) of U.K. government bonds it has purchased to bolster the economy since the global financial crisis more than 10 years ago.