Europe

25 June 2023; MEMO: The United Nations, on Friday, called for the removal of all obstacles to guarantee the uninterrupted continuation of the Black Sea grain deal, Anadolu Agency reports.

MOSCOW, June 25. /TASS/: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called statements by US President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky on the nuclear threat allegedly emanating from Russia a "turbulent stream of consciousness" not worth commenting on.

MINSK, June 25. /TASS/: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has held telephone talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and Kazakhstan’s first President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the BelTA news agency said on Sunday, citing Lukashenko’s press service.

According to the agency, Lukashenko spoke with Putin in the morning. In the second half of the day, Nazarbayev had a phone call with Nazarbayev to discuss the international situation and the situation in the region, as well as bilateral relations.

MOSCOW, 25 June. /TASS/: Traffic on the entire M-4 Don highway is running normally, the Avtodor telegram channel reported.

"Traffic on the entire M-4 Don [highway] is proceeding as usual," the statement said.

Traffic on the M-4 Don towards Rostov-on-Don was partially halted on Saturday, causing traffic jams for many kilometers. Emergency workers and volunteers helped drivers and passengers.

TASS, June 25: Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he keeps the situation of the special operation under control around the clock.

"Of course, I pay priority attention [to the special military operation]," he told journalist Pavel Zarubin. "This is how the day begins and this is how it ends," Putin pointed out during an interview with the "Moscow.Kremlin.Putin" TV program, recorded on June 21.

VATICAN CITY, June 25 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday offered prayers and solidarity to the family of a Vatican schoolgirl who went missing 40 years ago in one of Italy's most enduring mysteries.

Emanuela Orlandi, the 15-year-old daughter of a Vatican usher, failed to return home on June 22, 1983, after a music lesson in central Rome.

The case has drawn renewed worldwide attention following the release of the Netflix series "Vatican Girl" late last year.

LONDON, June 25 (Reuters) - The world's central bank umbrella body, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), called on Sunday for more interest rate hikes, warning the world economy was now at a crucial point as countries struggle to rein in inflation.

Despite the relentless rise in rates over the last 18 months, inflation in many top economies remains stubbornly high, while the jump in borrowing costs triggered the most serious banking collapses since the financial crisis 15 years ago.

BERLIN (AP) — The far-right Alternative for Germany party saw its first head of a county administration elected Sunday in a rural eastern region, a win that comes as national polls show its support at record levels.

A runoff election in Sonneberg county pitted Alternative for Germany’s candidate, Robert Sesselmann, against center-right rival Jürgen Köpper. Official figures showed Sesselmann, who had been well ahead in the first round two weeks ago, winning by 52.8% to 47.2%.

STOCKHOLM (AP) — One person was killed and several others injured when a roller coaster derailed in Stockholm on Sunday, Swedish TV reported.

Park officials told public broadcaster SVT that that one of the carriages on the Jetline rollercoaster derailed and people fell to the ground at the Grona Lund amusement park.

“It is incredibly tragic and shocking,” park spokeswoman Annika Troselius told SVT. “Unfortunately we have been informed that one person is killed and many are injured.”

Police said seven people, both children and adults, were hospitalized.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — An exit poll from Greece’s second election in five weeks indicates the conservative New Democracy party has won by a landslide, gaining enough parliamentary seats to form a government for a second four-year term.

The poll projects Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ party gaining 40-44% of the vote, with his main rival, the left-wing Syriza party suffering a crushing defeat with just 16-19% projected support, even worse than his 20% in the last elections in May.