Europe

MOSCOW, April 25. /TASS/: The invitation of the sister of US citizen Paul Whelan, who was convicted in Russia on espionage charges, to attend a meeting of the UN Security Council chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is nothing but a PR stunt by the US Department of State, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, April 25. /TASS/:  The first secretary of the Moldovan embassy in Moscow, Valeriu Manea, has been declared persona non grata, a Moldovan diplomatic source told TASS on Tuesday.

"Valeriu Manea has been declared persona non grata in Russia," the source said.

MOSCOW, April 25. /TASS/: The secession of certain states from the United States of America could be a distinct possibility, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev told participants in the Znanie (Knowledge) educational marathon on Tuesday, adding that he would "be rooting for [the state of] Texas" should it decide to opt for independence.

April 25 (Reuters) - Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants to make a deal with the European Union to make it easier for Britons to travel to the bloc, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Sunak is hoping to build on improved relations with the EU to reach an agreement to let Britons use EU e-gates for passport checks, which would speed up border crossings, the report said.

Sunak's spokesman, however, said he did not recognise the reporting that the prime minister was pushing for greater access.

MOSCOW, April 25 (Reuters) - An ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the world was probably on the verge of a new world war and the risks of a nuclear confrontation were rising.

"The world is sick and quite probably is on the verge of a new world war," Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Putin's powerful security council, told a conference in Moscow.

He said such a new world war was not inevitable but the risks of a nuclear confrontation were growing and more serious than concerns about climate change.

GENEVA, April 25 (Reuters) - There is a "high risk of biological hazard" in Sudan's capital Khartoum after one of the warring parties seized a laboratory holding measles and cholera pathogens and other hazardous materials, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva via video link from Sudan, the WHO's representative in the country, Nima Saeed Abid, said technicians were unable to gain access to the National Public Health Laboratory to secure the materials.

GENEVA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- A new drive to vaccinate millions of children was announced by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday.

"The Big Catch-Up" aims at restoring vaccination progress lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The pandemic saw essential immunization levels decrease in over 100 countries, leading to rising outbreaks of measles, diphtheria, polio and yellow fever," said the WHO. "The Big Catch-up" is an extended effort to lift vaccination levels among children to at least pre-pandemic levels, and endeavors to exceed those.

KIEV, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Kyrylo Budanov, chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, said Ukraine is in talks with Russia over an "all-for-all" prisoner exchange, local media reported Monday.

Speaking in an interview with RBC-Ukraine media outlet, Budanov said that the two countries "in principle are getting closer" to an agreement, envisaging the release of all captives by the two parties.

Since the start of prisoner exchanges, Russia has freed more than 2,220 Ukrainian captives, he noted.

GENEVA (AP) — Swiss banking giant UBS said Tuesday that it took in $28 billion in new money from wealthy clients in the first three months of the year, with $7 billion of that coming in the 10 days after the announcement it was taking over ailing rival Credit Suisse.

Zurich-based UBS, which is set to become Switzerland’s single banking titan after the merger closes in the coming months, said it also drew $14 billion in new money to its asset management business.

BERLIN (AP) — German climate activists temporarily brought traffic to a standstill in some parts of Berlin on Monday by gluing themselves to streets all over the capital.

Members of the group Last Generation have repeatedly blocked roads across Germany in the past year in an effort to pressure the government to take more drastic action against climate change. On several occasions, they have glued themselves to the roads, enraging some motorists and prompting accusations of extremism from conservative politicians.