Europe

MOSCOW, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Russia's defence minister accused NATO on Saturday of gradually gathering forces near Russia's borders and being unwilling to discuss European security with Moscow on equal terms, Interfax news agency reported.

Shoigu's comments were the latest sign of mounting tension between Russia and NATO after defence ministers from the Western alliance agreed a new plan on Thursday to defend against any potential Russian attack on multiple fronts.

LA PALMA, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Spain would speed up aid to the hard-hit agriculture and fishing industries on the island of La Palma, where part of the volcano's cone collapsed on Saturday and red hot lava continued to flow over a month after the eruption began.

Lava has covered almost 900 hectares of land, destroying over 2,000 buildings and many banana plantations. More than 7,000 people have had to leave their homes since the eruption started on Sept. 19.

MOSCOW, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Russian and Chinese warships held their first joint patrols in the Western part of the Pacific ocean on October 17-23, Russia's defence ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

Moscow and Beijing, which staged naval cooperation drills in the Sea of Japan earlier in October, have cultivated closer military and diplomatic ties in recent years at a time when their relations with the West have soured. 

BUDAPEST, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who faces a close election race next year, accused Brussels and Washington of trying to meddle in Hungarian politics and called on his supporters to defend the achievements of his nationalist government's decade in power.

For the first time since he came to power in 2010, Orban will face a united front of opposition parties including the Socialists, liberals and the formerly far-right, now centre-right, Jobbik in 2022 parliamentary elections.

LONDON, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Britain on Friday voiced strong opposition to the "irresponsible remarks" recently made by British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Hong Kong affairs.

The spokesperson made the remarks while responding to a question concerning a statement made by Truss on Thursday when he expressed concerns over the disqualification or resignation of some District Councilors in Hong Kong, which interfered in China's internal affairs.

PARIS (AP) — A former politician who called for the overthrow of the French government has been charged with terrorism in connection with what authorities have said was an extreme-right plot to attack vaccination centers, a masonic lodge and other targets.

Rémy Daillet-Wiedemann was already accused of masterminding the international QAnon-style kidnapping of a girl on behalf of the child’s mother, who had lost custody. He was jailed in eastern France in that case when the new allegations emerged involving many in the same extreme-right circle of his supporters.

VIENNA (AP) — Unvaccinated people in Austria could face new lockdown restrictions if coronavirus case numbers continue to rise, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said.

The news came after a Friday evening meeting between Schallenberg and state-level leaders to discuss their response to rapidly increasing case numbers.

“The pandemic is not yet in the rearview mirror,” Schallenberg said. “We are about to stumble into a pandemic of the unvaccinated.”

LONDON (AP) — Prince Charles issued a warning to the world days before leaders gather in the U.K. for crucial United Nations climate talks, saying there is a “dangerously narrow” window to tackle global warning.

The heir to the British throne said Saturday that the summit, which starts Oct. 31 in Glasgow, showed that “after far too long,” climate change and biodiversity loss are at last “of paramount importance to the world.”

22 Oct 2021; MEMO: Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has said that something needs to be done to make the UN Security Council "more balanced," Anadolu News Agency reports.

Speaking at a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi on Thursday, Putin said Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan "is right in this opinion."

MOSCOW, October 22. / TASS /: Passage to Red Square has been blocked after the scaffolding partially collapsed from the Kremlin wall earlier on Friday.

According to TASS, passages to the square are currently blocked from all nearby streets. As the security officials which control the perimeter stated, Red Square was closed due to the collapse.

There are several people on the Kremlin wall in the area of the Spasskaya Tower near the battlements that were damaged in the accident. One of the elements on the wall is completely missing.