ECB confirms €200 and €500 notes will remain in circulation

News reports in some countries claiming that Europol or the European authorities have decided that the €500 and €200 banknotes will be withdrawn from circulation are false. The €200 and €500 notes will continue to circulate and can be exchanged at any time at any national central bank in the euro area. The announcement was made by European Central Bank communicators.

Russia issues arrest warrant for ICC President

Russia on Monday added the president of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Polish national Piotr Hofmanski, to its list of wanted persons, without providing a reason, according to AFP, cited by Agerpres.

Russian Navy exercises in Arctic to counter unmanned threat

The Russian Northern Fleet, which operates in the Arctic, has conducted exercises to counter fictitious enemy unmanned vessels, Interfax and Reuters reported on Monday, quoted by Agerpres.

Erdogan to meet Azerbaijan President Monday: Turkish Presidency

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet his counterpart Ilham Aliyev in the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan on Monday, the Turkish presidency said on Sunday, AFP reports.

Ukrainians can write "russia" instead of "Russia"

Ukraine’s National Commission for State Language Standards has ruled that writing words such as “Russia” and “Moscow” in lowercase letters in unofficial documents will no longer be considered an error, POLITICO reports.

The ship Aroyat, with 17,600 tons of wheat on board, which left the port of Chornomorsk for Egypt, arrived in Istanbul

A second shipment of Ukrainian wheat reached Turkey via the Black Sea on Sunday, according to maritime traffic monitoring sites, AFP reports.

Pope says countries should not "play games" with Ukraine on arms aid

Pope Francis suggested on Saturday that some countries were "playing games" with Ukraine by first providing weapons and then considering backing out of their commitments, Reuters reports.

Explosion in a block of flats in Sibiu, Romania: Two people died

Two people died in an explosion today, followed by a fire, in an apartment block in Sibiu, Romania, writes Agerpres.

Ukraine's Zelenskiy stops over in Poland to award two volunteers

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy awarded two Polish volunteers state awards during a stopover on Saturday, but did not meet any officials as relations between the two countries are strained over grain imports, Reuters reports.

Armenia urges UN to send mission to Karabakh to monitor rights

Armenia on Saturday urged the United Nations to send a mission to ensure the safety of ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh after the territory was seized back by Azerbaijan, which promised to respect minority rights, AFP reports.

MEPs approved the European Council’s decision to increase the number of European Parliament seats

The number of MEPs will increase in 2024 to reflect demographic changes in the EU since 2019, reads a press release of the European Parliament.

2.8 million people affected by Morocco earthquake, minister says

Morocco's earthquake has damaged 2,930 villages nestled in the High Atlas mountains, home to a total population of 2.8 million people.