Europe

BERLIN, July 4. /TASS/: There was a detailed discussion at the Berlin meeting of political advisers to the leaders of the Normandy Quartet countries (Germany, Russia, Ukraine and France), but there is hardly any reason to say a breakthrough was achieved, the deputy chief of the Russian presidential staff, Dmitry Kozak, told the media on Friday.

MOSCOW, July 4. /TASS/: The Russian Foreign Ministry does not rule out that other countries can exit the Treaty on Open Skies after the United States withdraws from it, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told TASS on Saturday.

NOVO-OGARYOVO, July 3./TASS/: Russian people are treated equally regardless of race, gender, or belief, President Vladimir Putin emphasized on Friday.

"Russia has never had, nor does it have, nor will it ever have anything connected to restricting anyone’s rights based on sexual orientation, race or religious beliefs," Putin told an online meeting with the members of the working group that had drafted constitutional amendments.

MOSCOW, July 3. /TASS/: Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton distorts information in his memoirs about a dialogue with Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergei Shoigu on the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Colonel-General Alexander Fomin said on Friday.

Russia’s Defense Ministry paid attention to Bolton’s memoirs published last week where he comments, among other, on the situation with the INF Treaty and the discussion of this issue with Russian Defense Minister Army General Shoigu, the deputy defense minister said.

GENEVA, July 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UN human rights office voiced concern on Friday (Jul 3) that “vague and overly broad” provisions in the national security law for Hong Kong may lead to arbitrary interpretation and prosecutions of activists in violation of freedoms of assembly and expression.

“We are alarmed that arrests are already being made under the law with immediate effect,” UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville told a Geneva news briefing. Hundreds have been arrested and at least 10 charged since it went into effect on Wednesday, he said.

LONDON, July 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Seven police officials were injured in violence at an unlicensed musical event in the British capital as they sought to break up a crowd that posed a risk to public health during the coronavirus pandemic, police said. 

Those at Friday’s event became violent and threw projectiles at police as they entered an estate at Havelock Close in West London, the police said in a statement.

“Officers encountered bricks and other missiles being thrown at them,” police said, adding that the gathering was eventually dispersed with no arrests.

PARIS (Reuters) - A Frenchman who converted to Islam and went abroad to fight for Islamic State was sentenced by a Paris court on Friday to 30 years in prison in France’s first successful prosecution of an Islamist militant for crimes committed in Syria.

Tyler Vilus, 30, was arrested in Turkey five years ago as he prepared to catch a flight to Prague. Prosecutors told the court he wanted to lead the squad of gunmen and suicide bombers which attacked Paris in November 2015, but were unable to prove this.

BRUSSELS, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission on Friday rushed to announce it has given the green light to anti-viral drug Remdesivir for treatment of COVID-19, making it the first drug authorized at the European Union (EU) level for the purpose.

EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides said the EU has expedited the authorization, approving the drug, made by American biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, in an exceptionally short timeframe.

MADRID, July 3 (Xinhua) -- On July 4, Spain will reopen its borders to visitors from 12 non-EU countries, according to the country's Official State Bulletin on Friday.

The 12 countries, including Australia, Canada, South Korea, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, New Zealand, Rwanda, Thailand, Tunisia, Serbia and Uruguay, have been selected from an initial list of 15 agreed by the European Union (EU).

MOSCOW, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Friday on the official publication of the country's amended constitution after it was approved in a recent referendum.

The amendments become effective from July 4, according to the decree published on the Kremlin website.

Earlier in the day, the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) certified the results of the referendum held between June 25 and July 1 on 206 constitutional amendments.