Europe

KORCZOWA, Poland (AP) — Pickup trucks and tourniquets bound for Ukraine’s battlefield are among items stuck in a mileslong line at the border with Poland. Components to build drones to fight off Russian forces are facing weeks of delays.

7 December 2023; MEMO: After years of strained relations that raised tensions to alarming levels, long time regional rivals, Greece and Turkiye, made a significant step Thursday in mending ties during a visit to Athens by Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, AP reports.

BRUSSELS, December 7. /TASS/: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said assistance to Ukraine is a good opportunity for NATO member countries to spend their money. When asked how NATO member countries should spend 2% of their GDP on defense, something the alliance requires of its members, the secretary general said, "If the problem is that it’s hard to spend 2% [of GDP], I can help you."

MOSCOW, December 7. /TASS/: No one can stop or slow down the development of Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the VTB Investment Forum "Russia Calling!"

"I have no doubt that no one can stop us or slow down our development," he said.

MOSCOW, December 7. /TASS/: The situation in the Gaza Strip is a problem for all mankind, not just the MIddle East, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said during talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

"The bombing [of Gaza] needs to stop as soon as possible," the Iranian president noted. "Today, this poses a challenge not only to our region but also to all of humanity," he added.

MOSCOW, December 8. /TASS/: A total of 18 people died in 2023 on slopes of the world’s highest mountain, Everest, making it the deadliest mountaineering season since the summit was first reached 70 years ago, according to The Himalayan Database that stores information on all expeditions in the Himalayas.

MOSCOW, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi accused the West on Thursday of supporting "genocide" by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza, at the start of talks in Moscow with President Vladimir Putin.

As part of a burst of meetings focused on the Middle East, Putin greeted Raisi in the Kremlin a day after visiting the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, where he discussed the wars in Gaza and Ukraine and efforts by Russia and OPEC to boost oil prices.

MOSCOW, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia and Russia, the world's two biggest oil exporters, on Thursday called for all OPEC+ members to join an agreement on output cuts for the good of the global economy only days after a fractious meeting of the producers' club.

Hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin went to Riyadh in a hastily arranged visit to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Kremlin released a joint Russian-Saudi statement about the conclusion of their discussions.

Dec 7 (Reuters) - Russian forces conducted aerial attacks on Thursday in their slow-moving campaign to win control of eastern Ukraine and used smaller attack groups to try to capture the beleaguered town of Avdiivka, the Ukrainian military said.

Russia has ramped up its push in recent weeks to try to encircle Avdiivka, which lies less than a dozen kilometres from the outskirts of the Moscow-held regional capital of Donetsk.

LONDON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Six former London police officers on Thursday were given suspended prison sentences for sharing offensive and racist messages on WhatsApp, including references to Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and other members of the royal family.

In a statement after the sentencing hearing Commander James Harman, who leads the Metropolitan Police's Anti-Corruption and Abuse Command, said "the racist and discriminatory content of these messages is absolutely appalling".