Europe

CHISINAU, April 19 (Reuters) - Moldova summoned the Russian ambassador on Wednesday to declare a member of the Russian embassy staff persona non grata, a government spokesperson said.

Government press secretary Daniel Vode told reporters the decision was connected to the actions of embassy staff towards Moldovan border guards who denied entry to a regional Russian politician at Chisinau airport this week.

The embassy staffer was not named.

April 19 (Reuters) - Gold prices slid more than 1% Wednesday on higher U.S. yields and the dollar, as some investors bet that a pause to the Federal Reserve's rate hike may take longer than previously thought.

Spot gold was down 1.5% at $1,974.89 per ounce by 1026 GMT, while U.S. gold futures were down 1.7% to $1,984.90.

Benchmark U.S. Treasury yields rose to a near one-month high, pulling the dollar further above one-year lows that, in turn, made gold less affordable for buyers holding other currencies.

ROME, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Europe's main stock exchanges opened higher on Tuesday, following news that China's economy exceeded expectations in the first quarter (Q1) of 2023.

China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced on Tuesday that the country's economy grew by 4.5 percent year on year in Q1, 2023. Compared to the last three months of 2022, the economy expanded by 2.2 percent.

"China's national economy made a good start this year, and market expectation saw significant improvement," said NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui at a press conference.

BERLIN (AP) — A German labor union is calling for railway workers to stage an eight-hour strike on Friday to back calls for an inflation-busting pay raise. Walkouts are also scheduled at three airports this week in a parallel pay dispute.

The EVG rail workers union called for members to walk off the job from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Friday. It said Wednesday that it had “to increase pressure on employers, who think that they can ignore the demands of their workforce and conduct wage negotiations in a patronizing way.”

BERLIN (AP) — Police are searching for a man suspected of carrying out a knife attack at a gym in the western German city of Duisburg that left four people seriously wounded, officials said Wednesday.

Three people were in life-threatening condition, and one person was less seriously wounded, Duisburg police tweeted late Tuesday. They said all four victims are German citizens but didn’t immediately provide further details.

Duisburg prosecutors said there had been no reportable developments in the case overnight.

MINSK, April 18. /TASS/: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met with Acting Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Denis Pushilin in Minsk on Tuesday, the BelTA news agency reported.

This is the first official meeting between Lukashenko and Pushilin since the DPR joined Russia.

"I’d like to hear, as they say, a first-hand report on the situation. <…> I know about the shelling, and how hard it is for the people. What can Belarus do for Donetsk, how can we help?" the Belarusian leader said.

MOSCOW, April 18. /TASS/: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich refused to plead guilty of espionage and is prepared to prove his innocence, his defense lawyer Maria Korchagina told reporters on Tuesday.

"Our defendant hasn’t pleaded guilty and is ready to prove it," she said. "He plans to defend himself. He’s in a combative mood."

The lawyer said the journalist is in good health and does a lot of reading.

MOSCOW, April 18. /TASS/: The Russian State Duma adopted the draft of the basic law "On Citizenship of the Russian Federation" in the second and third readings on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, April 18. /TASS/: Russia has issued a stern rebuke to British Ambassador to Moscow Deborah Bronnert over her remarks as well as statements by senior British Foreign Office officials regarding the court verdict handed down in the case against journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza (designated as a foreign agent in Russia), the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, April 18. /TASS/: A strong protest has been expressed to the US ambassador in Moscow, Lynne Tracy, over provocative statements in support of journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza (recognized as a foreign agent in Russia), the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.