Europe

MOSCOW, December 4. /TASS/: Russian border guards have foiled an illegal border crossing attempt by three armed perpetrators from Ukraine. As the Public Relations Center of the Federal Security Service (FSB) told TASS, after exchanging fire one of them was killed, two others fled.

BELLINZONA (Switzerland), Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A former warlord will become the first Liberian to face a war crimes trial over alleged atrocities during the country’s 1990s civil war when he goes on trial in Switzerland.

Alieu Kosiah, who was arrested in Switzerland in 2014, stands accused of murder, rape and a string of other crimes during the first of Liberia’s back-to-back civil wars, which together killed some 250,000 people between 1989 and 2003.

ROME, Dec 4 (NNN-Xinhua) — No travels between regions for Christmas and a national curfew on New Year’s Eve are among the new rules imposed in Italy ahead of the forthcoming holidays.

The restrictions are carried in a cabinet decree passed on Thursday, and they will enter into force between Dec 4 and Jan 15. Different rules would last variously within this timeframe.

PARIS, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — French authorities inspected dozens of mosques and prayer halls suspected of radical teachings starting on Thursday as part of a crackdown on extremists following a spate of attacks, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.

Darmanin told RTL radio that if any of the 76 prayer halls inspected was found to promote extremism they would be closed down.

LONDON (Reuters) - Brent crude oil futures rose to just under $50 a barrel on Friday as major producers agreed on a compromise to increase output slightly from January but continue the bulk of existing supply curbs to cope with coronavirus-hit demand.

Brent was up 53 cents at $49.24 a barrel by 1034 GMT after hitting its highest since early March at $49.92. West Texas Intermediate rose 47 cents to $46.11 a barrel. Both benchmarks are set for a fifth straight week of gains.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - An update on the latest in Brexit trade talks by EU negotiator Michel Barnier for national envoys to the bloc will not go ahead on Friday “due to the ongoing intensive negotiations in London”, a spokesman for the bloc said.

KALININGRAD, December 3. /TASS/: Over 50 Baltic Fleet ships and support vessels are involved in drills running at their naval bases, the Fleet’s press office reported on Thursday.

"The crews of the Fleet’s combat ships, boats and support vessels have begun shipboard drills at the places of the Baltic Fleet forces’ basing in Baltiysk and Kronshtadt to practice preparing for deployment to the sea, measures for ship damage control during the anchorage at a pier, and also ships’ anti-saboteur defense at naval bases," the press office said in a statement.

MOSCOW, December 3. /TASS/: A Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with a Gonets-M satellite and a system which will be used by the Russian Defense Ministry has been launched from the Plestesk spaceport in Russia's northwestern Arkhangelsk Region, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday.

MOSCOW, December 3. /TASS/: In November, the total COVID-19 case count in the world increased by 17.3 million cases, which is 5.6 million more than the record high, registered in October, and is about equal to all cases registered between March and July, according to TASS calculations. The relative growth has increased as well, from 35% to 38%.The death toll in November was 1.7 times higher than in October - about 280,000 deaths.

MOSCOW, December 3. / TASS /: Russia's Sberbank will soon open the first institute in Russia to study artificial intelligence, said bank CEO Herman Gref said at the AI Journey conference on Thursday.

"In the near future, we will open the first AI institute in Russia with the involvement of leading domestic and world scientists. The main mission of the institute is to provide an interdisciplinary approach to research to create general artificial intelligence," Gref said.