Europe

MOSCOW, September 26. /TASS/: In its actions and views on the world processes the European Union has never abandoned the principles of colonialism and the misappropriated right to meddle in the affairs of other countries without any sufficient reasons, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on the Sunday Evening with Vladimir Solovyov program on the Rossiya-1 television channel.

MOSCOW, September 26. /TASS/: Kiev’s unwillingness to comply with the Minsk-2 agreements is an obstacle to a possible meeting of the Russian and Ukrainian Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the ‘Moscow. Kremlin. Putin’ program on Rossiya-1 TV channel.

GENEVA, Sept 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least 350,209 people have been killed in Syria’s 10-year war, the United Nations human rights office said, calling the tally an “undercount” as it released its first report since 2014 on the conflict’s death toll.

The figure announced on Friday included civilians and fighters and was based on strict methodology requiring the full name of the deceased, as well as an established date and location of death, the office said.

LONDON, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Britain said on Sunday it had collected evidence of multiple ships from various nationalities apparently breaching United Nations sanctions against North Korea which ban the sale of fuel to the country.

British frigate HMS Richmond has been taking part in UN sanctions enforcement operations in the region.

MOSCOW, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Three Russian SU-35S fighter jets have escorted a U.S. B-52H strategic bomber which was approaching Russia's border in the Pacific Ocean, RIA news agency reported on Sunday, citing Moscow's Defence Ministry.

It said the bomber had subsequently moved away from the border, while the Russian jets had returned to their bases.

BRIGHTON, England, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Labour Party hinted on Sunday at new taxes on wealth, identifying landlords and shareholders as possible targets if it won power at the next election.

Labour's would-be finance minister Rachel Reeves used an interview before her speech at the party's annual conference in Brighton to preview what she called "a fair tax system".

BRIGHTON, England, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Transport Minister Grant Shapps on Sunday called on Britons to behave normally when buying petrol, saying there was no shortage of fuel and the government was stepping in to ease a shortage of drivers bringing it to petrol stations.

In recent days long lines of vehicles have formed at petrol stations as motorists waited, some for hours, to fill up with fuel after oil firms reported a lack of drivers was causing transport problems from refineries to forecourts.

MOSCOW, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has nominated Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, for the speaker of the new convocation of the State Duma, TASS news agency reported Saturday.

At a meeting with leaders of the parties that were elected to the lower house of parliament, Putin said that he believes Volodin is quite worthy to head the next, eighth convocation of the State Duma.

LA PALMA, Canary Islands (AP) — The airport on the Spanish island of La Palma reopened Sunday and authorities allowed some evacuated residents to collect belongings from their homes, as an erupting volcano continued to roar but lava flows remained slow.

The island’s government said there had been “no significant incidents” with the volcano since Saturday, when part of the crater collapsed and another river of lava emerged.

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Iceland has elected a female-majority parliament, a landmark for gender equality in the North Atlantic island nation, in a vote that saw centrist parties make the biggest gains.

After all votes were counted Sunday, female candidates held 33 seats in Iceland’s 63-seat parliament, the Althing. The three parties in the outgoing coalition government led by Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir won a total of 37 seats in Saturday’s vote, two more than in the last election, and appeared likely to continue in power.