Briefly

RUSSIA

EU's plan on frozen assets 'theft': Kremlin

Russia would regard the seizure of revenue from its frozen assets in the European Union as a violation of all norms of the global economic system, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday. Peskov said Moscow was working on its response to such a move and would closely monitor its implementation. EU countries have formally adopted a plan to use windfall profits from Russian central bank assets frozen in the EU for Ukraine, the Belgian government said. Under the agreement, 90 percent of the proceeds will go into an EU-run fund for aid for Ukraine.

ITALY

IMF issues warning to bring debt under control

Italy's government has been issued with a stern warning by the International Monetary Fund to get its finances in order after it was revealed its public debt is on course to be 145 percent of its GDP. The IMF noted that Italy's economy had shown resilience in how it had recovered from the twin challenges of rising energy prices and the pandemic. But last year, GDP growth slowed to 0.9 percent, with just 0.6 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, and 0.7 percent forecast for next year.

CHAD

PM's resignation paves way for new government

Succes Masra, Chad's transitional prime minister, announced the resignation of his government on Wednesday. The resignation, which paves the way for the formation of a new government, came a day before the swearing-in ceremony of interim president Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, who was declared winner of the May 6 presidential election. Masra came in second with 18.54 percent of the votes. Masra was appointed prime minister in January.

China Daily - Agencies - Xinhua