Europe

MOSCOW, December 8. /TASS/: The number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in Russia over the past 24 hours has increased by 26,097, bringing the total to 2,515,09, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told journalists on Tuesday.

According to the crisis center, the relative daily growth decreased to 1%.

The lowest daily growth rates were registered in the Nenets Autonomous Region, the Republic of Altai (0.4% each), the Republic of Dagestan, the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region, (0.6% each).

LONDON (Reuters) - Margaret Keenan, the 90-year-old grandmother who became the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine outside of a trial in Britain on Tuesday, has a message for others: “go for it” to beat the devastating disease.

An early riser, Keenan, from Northern Ireland, received the Pfizer-BioNTech shot at her local hospital in Coventry, central England, at 0631 GMT, a week before she turns 91.

YEREVAN (Reuters) - Opposition demonstrators blocked streets in Armenia’s capital on Tuesday to mark the start of a protest campaign after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan ignored their call to step down over a ceasefire deal struck with Azerbaijan.

Hundreds chanted “Nikol, traitor” and “Armenia without Nikol” in the streets of Yerevan, answering an opposition call to protest after a deadline of midday Tuesday set by the opposition for Pashinyan to quit passed with him still in power.

LONDON (Reuters) - EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said that he had met his British counterpart to prepare the next steps and what the Brexit talks needed was “a school of patience, even a university of patience”.

“I just met David Frost this morning to prepare the next steps,” Barnier said on Tuesday.

08 Dec 2020; MEMO:  Germany, France and Britain said yesterday that they are "deeply concerned" by Iran's announcement that it intends to install additional, advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges at the Natanz plant, and of parliamentary legislation that could lead to expanding its nuclear programme.

The three countries – dubbed the E3 – said in a joint statement that "if Iran is serious about preserving a space for diplomacy, it must not implement these steps".

LONDON, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- British lawmakers on Monday voted to reinstate a controversial section of the Internal Market Bill, which would allow them to overrule sections of the Brexit divorce deal.

On Monday night, 357 lawmakers voted for putting an amendment back into the Internal Market Bill, while a total of 268 lawmakers voted against it.

BUCHAREST, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Romanian Prime Minister Ludovic Orban announced his resignation late Monday, after the ruling National Liberal Party (PNL) he leads failed to achieve its goal of scoring the best in Sunday's parliamentary election.

President Klaus Iohannis soon signed the decree, accepting Orban's resignation and appointing Defense Minister Nicolae Ciuca as interim prime minister.

The resignation of Orban is generally considered to also clear the way for his party to negotiate a future ruling alliance with other political parties.

LONDON (AP) — U.K. health authorities are rolling out the first doses of a widely tested and independently reviewed COVID-19 vaccine, starting a global immunization program that is expected to gain momentum as more serums win approval.

The first shot will come Tuesday at one of a network of hospital hubs around the country where the initial phase of the U.K. program will be rolled out on what has been dubbed “V-Day.”

MOSCOW, December 7. /TASS/: Serial deliveries of the latest T-14 ‘Armata’ tank to the Russian troops will begin in 2021, Head of the state hi-tech corporation Rostec Sergei Chemezov announced on Monday.

"Serial deliveries of the T-14 tank based on the Armata platform will begin in 2021. This is, undoubtedly, the world’s best tank today. In the future, this vehicle will become the main battle tank in the Russian Army," the Rostec chief said.

In 2019, Russia formalized all the necessary documents for the export of Armata tanks, he said.

MOSCOW, December 7. /TASS/: Russia has executed the first contract for the delivery of the S-400 air defense systems to Turkey and a second deal will depend on Ankara’s decision, head of the Rostec State Corporation Sergei Chemezov said at a briefing on Monday.