Austria has mulled over the possibility of new sanctions against Russia due to the detention of three Ukrainian Navy vessels that sailed toward the Kerch Strait in what Moscow has described as an unequivocal provocation committed in violation of international law. At a secret meeting of the Political and Security Committee in Brussels on Tuesday, French and German diplomats spoke out against stepping up existing EU sanctions against Russia in light of the growing rift between Moscow and Kiev over the Kerch Strait incident. Source: Sputnik
Greek retail sales by volume fell 3.3 percent in February compared to the same month last year after an upwardly revised 3.2 percent decline in January, statistics service ELSTAT said on Thursday. Source: Ekathimerini
A French warship passed through the strategic Taiwan Strait this month, U.S. officials told Reuters, a rare voyage by a vessel of a European country that is likely to be welcomed by Washington but increase tensions with Beijing. Source: Reuters
- South Korea’s economy unexpectedly shrank in the first quarter, marking its worst performance since the global financial crisis;
- The contraction reinforced financial market views that the central bank is likely to make a U-turn on policy, shifting to an easing stance and possibly cutting interest rates.
