Europe

"We are not boasting off or anything like that, but as you can see, my answer will continue to be that we will try to defend our position as long as possible. We managed to do that for two years. Whether we will continue to do that - I don't know, but I hope so'', said Vui in an interview with TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov.

Day 704 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

Cyprus is making an "extremely important" contribution in increasing sanctions pressure on Moscow, said Ukraine's ambassador to the east Mediterranean island, which was long in the spotlight for close business ties with Russia.

Cyprus all but severed those ties when it followed its European Union partners in slapping sanctions on Moscow over the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Italy steps into the pivotal role of the G7 rotating presidency, taking over from Japan, in a time fraught with global tensions and intricate geopolitical challenges, as reported by world agencies and Italian media.

"Better times are coming. Every house will have security for its future. Peace, stability and a secure future for us and our children. The next and the years ahead will be much better because of the reforms," said Vui.

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The rise of mycoplasma pneumonia, akin to the "Chinese" child pneumonia, has been witnessed across Europe, echoing the respiratory concerns observed in China, reports Euronews.

European Commissioner Mairead McGuinness lauded Bulgaria's vigilant border management during her visit to the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint on the Bulgarian-Turkish border. She praised the rigorous scrutiny exercised by Bulgarian authorities, emphasizing the significance of the border point as Europe's largest land crossing.

Fines will be increased and convicted arsonists will have to serve their sentence in jail even in cases of negligence, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday, during a parliamentary debate on the handling of the massive wildfires that have destroyed swathes of forest land in Greece over the past two months.

The European Union's largest wildfire since the bloc started keeping records continued to rage for the 13th straight day in northeastern Greece on Thursday burning a pristine forest in the Dadia National Park.

The blaze has already burned around 81,000 hectares (200,000 acres) of land, according to the European Union's Copernicus Emergency Management Service. 

The European Union's largest wildfire since the bloc started keeping records more than two decades ago showed no signs of abating Wednesday in northeastern Greece despite the efforts of a multinational firefighting force on the ground and a fleet of water-dropping aircraft.