BRUSSELS, Belgium, April 9 -- The Council of the European Union issued the following news release: In light of Russia's continuing war of aggression against Ukraine, and the reported atrocities committed by Russian armed forces in Ukraine, the Council decided today to impose a fifth package of economic and individual sanctions against Russia. The agreed package includes a series of measures intended to reinforce pressure on the Russian government and economy, and to limit the Kremlin's resourc  more

LONDON, England, April 9 -- The European Union's European Bank for Reconstruction and Development issued the following news: In its second episode, the EBRD's new Fearonomics podcast explores the risks of and solutions to the global energy crisis. Listen to Jonathan Charles, the EBRD's Managing Director of Communications, in discussion with Sergei Guriev, former EBRD Chief Economist and currently Professor of Economics at Science Po, and Beata Javorcik, the EBRD's Chief Economist who is also P  more

BRUSSELS, Belgium, April 9 -- The European Commission issued the following news release on April 7, 2022: The European Commission has today adopted a positive assessment of Bulgaria's recovery and resilience plan. This is a key step paving the way for the EU to disburse Euros6.3 billion in grants under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). This financing will support the implementation of the crucial investment and reform measures outlined in Bulgaria's recovery and resilience plan. It wi  more

BRUSSELS, Belgium, April 9 -- The European Commission issued the following fact sheet on April 7, 2022: * * * Q&A on Bulgaria's Recovery and Resilience Plan * How did the Commission assess Bulgaria's recovery and resilience plan? The Commission is assessing the recovery and resilience plans based on eleven criteria set out in the Regulation itself. Notably, the criteria require an assessment of whether: - the measures have a lasting impact; - the measures address the challenges identified   more

BRUSSELS, Belgium, April 9 -- The European Commission issued the following fact sheet on April 8, 2022: * * * Question and answers on the fifth package of restrictive measures against Russia * Why did you impose additional sanctions today? It is important to sustain utmost pressure on Putin and the Russian government at this critical point. The four packages of sanctions have hit hard and limited the Kremlin's political and economic options. We are seeing tangible results. But clearly, in vi  more

SOFIA, Bulgaria, April 9 -- The European Commission issued the following remarks on April 7, 2022, by President Ursula von der Leyen during her visit to the University of Sofia on Bulgaria's recovery and resilience plan: * * * This is the start of the day here. I am very much looking forward to our visit to the University of Sofia. I know that, at this University, this is the place where Bulgaria's excellence is shining. We have been speaking a lot, the two of us, on the need to combine the sc  more

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, April 9 -- The European Commission issued the following statement by President Ursula von der Leyen on April 7, 2022, on Sweden's recovery and resilience plan: * * * Thank you very much for the very warm welcome. Indeed, you are so right, we are living through bleak times. Putin's ruthless war still rages in Ukraine. But our Union stands firmly with the brave people of Ukraine. Be it with unprecedented sanctions against the aggressor; be it with financial support for Ukraine  more

BRUSSELS, Belgium, April 9 -- The European Commission issued the following news release on April 8, 2022: The European Commission welcomes today's agreement by the Council to adopt a fifth package of restrictive measures against Putin's regime in response to its brutal aggression against Ukraine and its people. Together with the four previous packages, these sanctions will further contribute to ramping up economic pressure on the Kremlin and cripple its ability to finance its invasion of Ukrain  more

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- The International Finance Corp., a member of the World Bank Group, issued the following news release: The IFC Board of Executive Directors approved IFC's Management Action Plan in response to an investigation of IFC's investments in Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) in the Philippines conducted by the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), IFC's independent accountability mechanism. IFC first invested in RCBC in 2011 to strengthen the financial sector in the Phili  more

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pennsylvania, issued the following news release on April 8, 2022: U.S. Representative Glenn "GT" Thompson on Thursday introduced H. Con. Res. 85, which recognizes Pennsylvania's abundant natural resources as the U.S. addresses its energy security and lessens its dependence on foreign oil. The resolution urges President Biden to consider the potential impacts on Pennsylvania's workforce, economy, and energy security as the U.S. pursues domestic and   more

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, issued the following news release on April 7, 2022: The Senate today passed two measures to impose additional penalties on Russia over its bloody, unprovoked war on Ukraine. The first measure, H.R. 6968, imposes a legislative ban on Russian energy imports and contains language crafted in part by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) to expedite its implementation. The second measure, H.R. 7108, would suspend permanent normal trade relations (PNTR),   more

WASHINGTON, April 8 -- Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $823,910 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for research projects at West Virginia University (WVU) and Marshall University. The funding will support research to develop a new digital testing platform with high detection sensitivity for infectious diseases, cancers an  more

NEW YORK, April 6 -- The United Nations issued the following remarks by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to the Security Council meeting on Ukraine: * * * The war in Ukraine is one of the greatest challenges ever to the international order and the global peace architecture founded on the United Nations Charter. Because of its nature, intensity and consequences. We are dealing with the full-fledged invasion, on several fronts, of one Member State of the United Nations, Ukraine, by another, t  more

LETHBRIDGE, Alberta, April 9 (TNSJou) -- The University of Lethbridge issued the following news: Using measurements collected by the governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Canada over the last 20 to 40 years, Dr. Sarah Ellen Johnston, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Lethbridge, and Canada Research Chair Dr. Matthew Bogard have mapped out changes in the flow of carbon through the South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB) in a study that was recently published in Geophysical Research Le  more