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China affirms ex-Soviet nations' sovereignty after uproar
BEIJING (AP) -- The Chinese government said Monday it respected the sovereignty of former Soviet Union republics after Beijing's ambassador to France caused an uproar in Europe by saying they weren't sovereign nations. The governments of former Soviet republics Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were among those who rejected Ambassador Lu Shaye's comment to a French broadcaster. While answering a question about the status of Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014, Lu said that there was no agreement to "solidify their status as a sovereign country." A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that "China respects the sovereign status of the former Soviet countries after the dissolution of the Soviet Union."
Climate protesters try to bring Berlin traffic to a halt
BERLIN (AP) -- German climate activists temporarily brought traffic to a standstill in some parts of Berlin on Monday by gluing themselves to streets all over the capital. Members of the group Last Generation have repeatedly blocked roads across Germany in the past year in an effort to pressure the government to take more drastic action against climate change. On several occasions, they have glued themselves to the roads, enraging some motorists and prompting accusations of extremism from conservative politicians. In addition to the road blocks, the activists said Monday they would also block traffic by marching very slowly through the city later in the day as they already did on Friday.
Report: Yacht with 3 Russians, 2 Egyptians missing off Yemen
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- A yacht carrying three Russians and two Egyptians reportedly went missing days ago off the coast of Yemen in the Red Sea. Its owner alleged on Monday that armed pirates took the vessel. The reported disappearance of the 30 Minutes, a 62-foot yacht registered in Panama to a Russian based in Dubai, comes as other vessels have faced attacks from Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels amid the war tearing apart the Arab world's poorest nation.
European leaders commit to more wind energy production
BRUSSELS (AP) -- A group of Western European nations led by Germany and France on Monday committed to massively ramp up the production of clean energy from wind turbines in the North Sea, to both meet climate targets and reduce their strategic energy dependence on Russia. Their leaders also vowed to improve security around the growing underwater electricity grid so it cannot fall victim to hybrid threats. Fears of such attacks have increased since the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year.