Europe

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said it stands with Bulgaria against “malign activity” by Russia in the country, adding that Moscow had been seeking to undermine the sovereignty of a NATO ally.

“We fully support Bulgaria’s efforts in disrupting an alleged spy ring and taking steps to tackle Russia’s hostile actions in its territory,” Britain’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Twitter on Saturday.

ZURICH (Reuters) - Austria’s OMV supports the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany despite the threat of U.S. sanctions, CEO Rainer Seele said.

“This project is of great importance for the security of supply of the European gas market, it is therefore Europe’s responsibility to decide,” Seele told Austrian newspaper Wiener Zeitung.

“We have had a deep transatlantic friendship with the USA for decades. And friends shouldn’t threaten each other,” he said in an interview published on Saturday.

LISBON, March 19 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged on Friday the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) to implement the EU's new action plan against racism 2020-2025.

At the opening of the first European Summit Against Racism, promoted by the Portuguese presidency of the European Council, von der Leyen said that the plan recognizes that structural racism exists in all areas and that the Member States must act.

LJUBLJANA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Senior politicians in Slovenia were administered the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Friday to boost public trust in vaccination.

President Borut Pahor, Parliament Speaker Igor Zorcic and Prime Minister Janez Jansa got their jabs after the AstraZeneca vaccine was briefly suspended this week for a review of possible risks.

Pahor said that the vaccine was the main factor of change for the better and return to normal life.

GENEVA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) urged countries on Friday to continue using the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19, as its benefits outweigh risks with tremendous potential to prevent infections and deaths from the pandemic.

MOSCOW, March 19. /TASS/: The Project Borei-A strategic underwater cruiser Knyaz Oleg and the Project Yasen nuclear-powered submarines Kazan and Novosibirsk will enter service with the Russian Navy until the end of this year, Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov said on Friday.

MOSCOW, March 19. /TASS/: Faulty gas equipment is believed to be the cause of an explosion that hit a nine-storey apartment building in the town of Khimki outside Moscow on Friday, an emergency source told TASS.

"Faulty gas equipment and a gas leak are among the possible causes," he said.

The explosion occurred in an eighth-floor apartment on Friday morning, causing a fire that engulfed five apartments. As a result, a ninth-floor deck and several balconies were destroyed and many windows were shattered.

MOSCOW, March 19. /TASS/: The Russian Pacific Fleet will receive the Varshavyanka-class last submarine Yakutsk in a series six Project 636.3 underwater cruisers in 2024, Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov said in an interview with the Defense Ministry’s Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper on Friday.

"This year, the Admiralty Shipyard will lay the keel of two more Project 636.3 diesel-electric submarines Mozhaisk and Yakutsk for the Pacific Fleet forces," the Navy chief said.

MOSCOW, March 19. /TASS/: The talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden may still take place on Monday, if the US is unable to hold the discussion on Friday, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. He reminded that the Kremlin is also ready to hold the talks at any time convenient for Biden.

19 Mar 2021; MEMO: At least three people died and one more is missing after the Greek Coast Guard dumped a group of asylum seekers into the Aegean Sea, Turkish authorities said today.

The Turkish Coast Guard rescued two asylum seekers from Bogaz Island, located off the coast of Izmir, and two more from the surrounding waters, according to a statement by the governor's office.

Bodies of two more people were also recovered, the statement said.