Briefly

EUROPEAN UNION

Bloc chief pledges to loan Kyiv up to $39b

The European Union pledged on Friday to lend Ukraine up to 35 billion euros ($39 billion) as part of a loan package, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Kyiv. The loans would be underwritten by the windfall profits earned on almost $300 billion in frozen Russian assets.

GERMANY

Minister offers help to Volkswagen

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Friday that he wants to help Volkswagen get through this period of cost-cutting without site closures. The minister said he also wants to ensure that personnel policy measures remain within the normal collective bargaining framework. However, the minister said there were limits to what his government could do to support Volkswagen.

RWANDA

Vaccinations against mpox begin in nation

Rwanda has started a vaccination campaign against mpox with 1,000 doses of the vaccine it obtained from Nigeria under an agreement between the two countries, the African health agency said on Thursday. The vaccinations started Tuesday, targeting seven districts with "high-risk populations" which neighbor Congo, Nicaise Ndembi from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Agencies Via Xinhua