Europe

LONDON (AP) — The British government is working to fix a technical problem that caused electronic border gates at airports around the country to stop working late Friday, leading to hourslong waits for travelers entering the U.K. at the start of a busy holiday weekend.

Travelers posted photos of long lines at airports around the country as all incoming passengers were forced to use manned passport desks, instead of the automatic gates equipped with electronic passport scanners.

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has been at the forefront of the fight against climate change and the protection of nature for years. But it now finds itself under pressure from within to pause new environmental efforts amid fears they will hurt the economy.

With the next European Parliament elections set for 2024, some leaders and lawmakers are concerned about antagonizing workers and voters with new binding legislation and restrictive measures and are urging the 27-nation bloc to hit the brakes.

MOSCOW, May 26. /TASS/: Washington is unleashing its European satellites to nip at Moscow’s heels, believing it can get away with anything, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"For now, Washington is egging its European satellites on [to antagonize] the Russian Federation, thinking they can get away with anything," he said in an appearance on the "Moscow.Kremlin.Putin" television program, according to an excerpt posted on Friday on journalist Pavel Zarubin's Telegram channel.

MOSCOW, May 26. /TASS/: A peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia may be signed in the foreseeable future, but in the end, what matters most is not when it is inked but that all issues are resolved, Russian presidential press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said on Friday.

BERLIN, May 26. /TASS/: BND, the German intelligence service, has received "numerous data" from special services of its partners, indicative of the potential involvement of Ukrainian nationals in the sabotage act at Nord Stream pipelines, Der Spiegel magazine said on Friday.

"Numerous data" were received by Germany from foreign countries, whereby "Ukrainian nationals are most probably" to be liable for that, the magazine said.

No prompt comment from the German Office of Prosecutor has been available.

MOSCOW, May 26. /TASS/: Russia has a bright future, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, pointing to the country’s enormous resources.

"As for the future, everyone actually has a future but the key question is what kind of future it will be. I am confident that Russia has a bright future. First, because we know what we want and what means to use to achieve our goals. Second, we have enormous resources, primarily human resources," the head of state said at a meeting with members of the Business Russia organization.

LONDON, May 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Net migration in the UK hit a record 606,000 in 2022, official figures showed on Thursday, heaping pressure on the government, which has pledged to cut dependency on foreign labour.

Responding to the figures, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described legal immigration levels as “too high”.

“It’s as simple as that and I want to bring them down,” he told ITV in an interview.

MOSCOW, May 26 (Reuters) - A senior ally of President Vladimir Putin said on Friday the conflict in Ukraine could last for decades and that negotiations with Ukraine were impossible as long as Ukraine's Western-backed President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was in power.

Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine has triggered the deadliest European conflict since World War Two and the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

LONDON, May 26 (Reuters) - British actor Hugh Grant's claims that journalists at the Sun used private investigators to tap his phone and burgle his house can proceed to trial, but his allegations about voicemail interception were made too late, London’s High Court ruled on Friday.

Grant, alongside King Charles' son Prince Harry, is suing Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers (NGN) for widespread alleged unlawful information gathering that he says was committed on behalf of its tabloid, the Sun.

BELGRADE, May 26 (Reuters) - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic placed the country's army on full combat alert and ordered its units to move closer to the border with Kosovo, the Tanjug news agency reported on Friday.

Vucic's orders came as Serbs in the northern Kosovo's municipality of Zvecan clashed with Kosovo police who were trying to help the newly elected ethnic Albanian mayor enter his office.

The local vote had been boycotted by Serbs who represent a majority in the area.