Europe

MOSCOW, Sept 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Russia dismissed the threat of US sanctions and attempts to isolate Iran, saying it intended to trade with Tehran once a UN arms embargo expires next month.

The embargo on conventional arms shipments to Iran is set to expire on Oct 18 after the United States failed to win support for a new UN resolution.

The administration of US President Donald Trump says it has decided to unilaterally reinstate virtually all of the UN sanctions on Iran lifted under a 2015 nuclear accord with Tehran.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Friday and were set for a weekly decline due to mounting worries about the impact on fuel demand of a widespread resurgence in coronavirus infections, as well as some concern about the likely return of exports from Libya.

Brent crude LCOc1 was down 32 cents at $41.62 a barrel by 1325 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 fell 41 cents to $39.90.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Hungary wants to kickstart its economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic by boosting investments and reducing taxes, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told Reuters on Friday, adding that extending the government’s job support scheme was a backup plan.

Nationalist Orban, who has been in power for more than a decade, faces the toughest challenge of his rule now as the economy is expected to shrink by up to 6% this year while new COVID-19 infections are surging.

BRUSSELS, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides Thursday warned against the "COVID-19 fatigue" witnessed in some member states, amid the worrying trend of increase in the coronavirus infections.

Addressing a video press conference in Brussels, Kyriakides noted that some EU member states are experiencing higher numbers of COVID-19 cases than during the peak in March, and in some areas the fatigue with physical distancing and disregard of norms are witnessed.

LONDON, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- A British police officer was shot dead by a young man in south London early morning Friday, the city's Metropolitan Police has said.

The incident occurred at Croydon Custody Centre at around 2:15 a.m. local time (0115 GMT) Friday, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement, adding that a 23-year-old man has been detained.

The police officer was treated at the scene and subsequently died of his injuries at hospital. The suspect was also taken to hospital with a gunshot wound and remains in a critical condition, the Metropolitan Police said.

LONDON (AP) — The European Commission said Friday it is appealing a court decision that Apple doesn’t have to repay 13 billion euros ($15 billion) in back taxes to Ireland.

The appeal comes after the U.S. tech giant scored a big recent legal victory in its long battle with the European Union’s executive Commission, which has been trying to rein in multinationals’ ability to strike special tax deals with individual EU countries.

PARIS (AP) — Paris police say a suspect believed to have wounded four people in a knife attack near the former offices of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo has been arrested.

A Paris police official said that while authorities initially thought two attackers were involved, they now believe it was only one person, who was detained near the Bastille plaza in eastern Paris.

It is unclear what motivated the attack Friday or whether it had any link to Charlie Hebdo, which moved offices after they were attacked by Islamic extremists in 2015.

MOSCOW, September 24. /TASS/: The Avifavir coronavirus drug price in pharmacies will be about 8,000 rubles ($103.9), being approximately 30% lower than the price of foreign counterparts, chief executive of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev said at a press conference on Thursday.

"Our price will be about eight thousand rubles," Dmitriev said. The drug price will be approximately 30% lower than for counterparts, he noted.

MOSCOW, September 24. /TASS/: The crew of the Black Sea Fleet’s submarine The Kolpino launched a Kalibr cruise missile to hit an on-shore target 100 nautical miles (185 kilometers away) during the Kavkaz-2020 military exercise, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"To practice the skills of using smart weapons The Kolpino’s crew launched one missile from the submerged position. The cruise missile hit the designated on-shore target at a proving ground about 100 nautical miles away," the Defense Ministry said.

Drones recorded the moment the missile hit the target.

NOVO-OGARYOVO, September 24. /TASS/: It is necessary to keep the situation with the coronavirus spread in Russia under control as the return to restrictive measures imposed this spring would be highly undesirable, President Vladimir Putin said at an online meeting with newly-elected governors on Thursday.