Europe

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and past leaders of the U.K. and Ireland gathered in Belfast on Monday, 25 years after their charm, clout and determination helped Northern Ireland strike a historic peace accord.

They met to remember a moment, said former U.S. Senator George Mitchell, “when history opened itself to hope,” in a Northern Ireland that has changed dramatically since 1998 — and where some wonder if the accord that created peace is still capable of sustaining it.

LONDON (AP) — Norwegian startup Freyr will first build batteries to power electric vehicles and store clean energy in a remote town near the Arctic Circle. Up next? An Atlanta suburb.

That’s because a new U.S. clean energy law offers generous tax credits — up to 40% of costs — in what is a “massive, massive incentive” for producing in America, CEO Tom Einar Jensen said.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday hailed the military’s performance during massive naval drills that have involved the entire Russian Pacific Fleet — a show of force amid the tensions with the West over the fighting in Ukraine.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to Putin that the exercise that began Friday involves 167 warships, including 12 submarines, 89 aircraft and 25,000 troops.

MOSCOW (AP) — A top Kremlin foe was convicted Monday on charges of treason and denigrating the Russian military and sentenced him to 25 years in prison after a trial that marked the latest move in a relentless crackdown on the opposition amid the fighting in Ukraine.

MOSCOW, April 15. /TASS/: Russia’s Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has been dismissed from the position of Russia’s envoy to the Council of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB).

MOSCOW, April 16. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived at the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow on Saturday night to attend the Easter service.

The service is conducted by Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill.

DONETSK, April 16. /TASS/: A civilian resident of Donetsk was killed and six wounded when Ukrainian troops shelled the city’s Transfiguration Cathedral during Easter Vigil on Sunday, the acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Denis Pushilin, said.

"For the time being, one person was reported as dead and six - as injured," Pushilin wrote on his Telegram channel. "Fire broke out when a Ukrainian projectile hit a kindergarten. Damage was reported at the Roofed Market, [at] nearby shops and a pharmacy."

MOSCOW, April 16. /TASS/: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Russia increased by 7,094 over the day, while the number of deaths rose by 38, the anti-coronavirus crisis center reported on Sunday.

One day earlier, 7,445 coronavirus cases and 37 deaths were reported in the country, bringing the total since the beginning of the pandemic to 22,765,337 and 397,828, respectively. The number of people recovering from coronavirus increased by 6,841 during the day, compared with 8,731 the previous day, and reached 22,151,154 in total.

MOSCOW, April 16. /TASS/: The Russian Armed Forces hit the command posts of the 125th and 102nd Territorial Defense Brigades in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Zaporozhye Region, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov told a briefing on the special military operation in Ukraine on Sunday.

"The command posts of the 125th and 102nd territorial defense brigades were hit in the areas of the settlements of Yampolovka in the Donetsk People's Republic and Zaliznichnoye in the Zaporozhye region," he said.

WARSAW, April 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Poland and Hungary banned imports of grain and other food from Ukraine to protect local farmers, officials from both countries said.

Ukraine’s grain exports have been transiting through the European Union to other countries since the war-torn nation’s traditional Black Sea routes were blocked by Russia’s invasion.

But because of logistical issues, the grain had been piling up and driving down prices, which led to protests from farmers and the resignation of Poland’s agriculture minister.