WORLD

Rome, Italy | Xinhua | Italy’s government on Monday adopted a decree that eliminates excise taxes on some forms of natural gas and methane to help tackle surging energy prices due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. According to a statement from the office of Prime Minister Mario Draghi, excise taxes on gasoline, …

Madrid, Spain | Xinhua | The mobile phones of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Defense Minister Margarita Robles were tapped by the Pegasus system, a Spanish official said on Monday. Their phones were subjected to “illegal and external listening” using Pegasus, according to two technical reports from the Spanish National …

Brussels, Belgium | Xinhua | Apple may be fined and forced to open its mobile payment system to competitors after the European Commission has charged the company of abusing its dominant position by limiting access to technologies allowing contactless payment. “Apple has built a closed ecosystem around its devices and its …

Moscow, Russia | Xinhua | The Russian military will not artificially adjust its actions during the special operation in Ukraine to any date, including Victory Day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Sunday. “We will solemnly celebrate May 9, as we always do,” Lavrov said in an interview with Italy’s Mediaset …

Washington, US | Xinhua | The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) annual dinner returned on Saturday after two years of cancellations due to COVID-19. U.S. President Joe Biden attended the event and made remarks and jokes, with which he took a swipe at his predecessor Donald Trump, the Republican Party, …

The euro is within reach of five-year lows and seems increasingly will approach dollar-euro parity Rome, Italy | Xinhua | The euro has continued to weaken against the U.S. dollar, approaching its lowest level in five years, due mainly to the crisis in Ukraine and the sluggish economic growth in Europe. …

Mumbai, India | Xinhua | India will take over a decade, or around 15 years, to overcome the losses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic despite its economic growth rebounding from a low-base, the country’s central bank said in a report on Friday. The monetary losses estimated by the Reserve Bank …

Beijing, China | Xinhua | Family members of patients in the intensive care unit(ICU) with COVID-19 often experience abrupt change in circumstance and thus may have PTSD symptoms needing emotional support, a new study has found. These family members often have to make difficult decisions quickly and feel a loss of …

Kiev, Ukraine | Xinhua | Kiev is willing to seize Russian assets to finance Ukraine’s post-conflict recovery, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Thursday. “The funds of the Russian government and oligarchs will be one of the main sources for filling the Fund for the Reconstruction of our country,” Shmyhal …

New York, U.S. | Xinhua | Oil prices climbed on Thursday as traders weighed the prospect of a European Union (EU) ban on imports of Russian oil. The West Texas Intermediate for June delivery added 3.34 U.S. dollars, or 3.3 percent, to settle at 105.36 dollars a barrel on the New …