Europe

CHISINAU, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Pro-European authorities in Moldova on Friday dismissed as groundless a ban imposed by Russia on imports of its fruit and vegetables, the latest display of deteriorating relations between Moscow and the ex-Soviet state.

Russia's farm goods oversight agency, Rosselkhoznadzor, said on Thursday it was reinstating restrictions last imposed in 2022. It cited "continuous, systematic observation of elements subject to quarantine" and said Moldovan authorities had taken no action to right the situation.

MUNICH, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Heavy snowfall in Bavaria prompted an all-day cancellation of flights and long-distance trains out of Munich, with Christmas markets closed, some ski lifts unable to run and a football match called off as the city battled with the icy conditions.

Flights were not scheduled to depart or arrive at Munich airport until at least 6 a.m. (0500 GMT) on Sunday according to a statement on its website.

KIEV, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine is at risk of losing up to 1 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) this year due to the blockade of its border with Poland by protesters from Polish carriers, the Ukrinform news agency reported Friday, citing a parliament official.

The Ukrainian economy which was supposed to grow by 3.5 percent this year will increase between 2.5 percent and 2.8 percent, said Yulia Klymenko, the first deputy chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Transport and Infrastructure.

MOSCOW (AP) — Imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been handed new charges by Russian prosecutors.

The 47-year-old is already serving more than 30 years in prison after being found guilty of crimes including extremism — charges that his supporters characterize as politically motivated. In comments passed to his associates, Navalny said he had been charged under article 214 of Russia’s penal code, which covers crimes of vandalism.

MOSCOW, December 1. /TASS/: Germany shut down its consulates general in Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and Kaliningrad within its course towards the cessation of Russian-German diplomatic relations, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in her commentary.

"It is perfectly obvious that the German authorities undertake these actions in accordance with the German government’s policy, aimed at cessation of the entire complex of Russian-German relations, including the minimization of interaction in the diplomatic dimension," she noted.

SKOPJE, December 1. /TASS/: Russia does not advocate the dismantling of the European Union (EU), but has noted that the level of rigid regimentation and lockstep discipline in the economic bloc now exceeds even that of its military twin, NATO, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference following a meeting of the Foreign Ministers’ Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Skopje.

MOSCOW, Dec 1 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) — Russia and Cuba plan to connect the city of St. Petersburg with Cayo Coco every ten days by late December, Cuban Ambassador to Russia Julio Garmendia told reporters.

“In late December, Aeroflot plans to resume flights, run by Rossiya Airlines, between the capitals of both countries, in addition to one from St. Petersburg to Cayo Coco every ten days,” the diplomat said.

GENEVA, Dec 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Climate change is making the fight against malaria even harder, with the campaign already struggling to make up ground lost during the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization warned.

“The changing climate poses a substantial risk to progress against malaria, particularly in vulnerable regions,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said as the WHO published its World Malaria Report.

VIENNA, Dec 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Major oil producer Brazil has been invited to join OPEC+ from next year, officials announced, following a meeting of the cartel to further slash production.

Brazil is among the world’s top 10 producers and has been the largest oil producer in Latin America since 2016.

Its crude production hit a record 3.7 million barrels per day in September, a near 17 percent increase from the same month last year and a 6.1 percent hike from August, according to pricing agency Argus Media.

LONDON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Last year, Yahya Sinwar told a rally in Gaza that Hamas would deploy fighters and rockets in a fierce strike on Israel, the nation that imprisoned him for 23 years before he was freed and rose to a leadership role in the militant group.

The speech by Hamas' leader in Gaza to thousands of cheering supporters bore the hallmarks of crowd-pleasing hyperbole. Less than a year later, Israel discovered it was no idle threat, when Hamas fighters broke through Gaza's fence, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostage.