Brussels - When the leaders of Russia and the European Union meet in the French resort of Nice on Friday, they are more likely to talk about the current financial crisis than the crisis in their own relationship sparked by Russia's war with Georgia, diplomats say.

"It's fair to guess that Georgia won't be the focus of the French presidency at the summit. They will definitely cover it, but it won't be the number one issue," an EU diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Brussels - European Jews on Monday marked the 70th anniversary of Nazi Germany's Kristallnacht pogrom while warning that their situation in Europe is worse than it was 60 years ago.

"Today we feel worse than after the Second World War," Moshe Kantor, president of the European Jewish Congress (EJC), said at the ceremonies in Brussels marking the Kristallnacht.

"What politicians and governments nowadays in Europe permit themselves is something which we could not have imagined 10 or 20 years ago," Kantor said.

There were now more neo-Nazis and Nazi sympathisers in Europe than there were Jews, he said. Increasingly, remembrance of the Holocaust is fading away.

Gaza - A third voyage to challenge Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip successfully completed on Saturday morning as the "Dignity" ship docked in the harbor of the Islamists-ruled territory.

Palestinian witnesses said the ship, which set sail Friday from Cyprus, berthed at 0930 am (0730 GMT) in Gaza fishing port with a handful of Hamas officials and tens of Palestinians welcoming the delegation.

The yacht carries 11 journalists, human rights and peace activists in addition to 12 European parliamentarians who Egypt barred from traveling to Gaza through its territories last month.

War

For the manufacture of critical components for thermal power plants, forgings major Bharat Forge Ltd (BFL) is proposing to form an energy joint venture with a Europe-based company of the Alstom Group.

Baba Kalyani, Chairman and Managing Director, BFL, described the move as a part of the company’s planned entry into the capital goods sector.

Athens - The days of cigarette friendly Greece are about to go up in smoke.

The home to Europe's largest population of smokers has just over a year to go before a ban outlaws the habit in all public places, including restaurants, bars and offices, the Greek Health Ministry said Friday.

The ministry submitted the bill to Parliament late Thursday. It foresees the adoption of European Union guidelines designed to protect people from passive smoking as of January 1, 2010.