Europe

LONDON (AP) — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange plans to claim during an extradition hearing that the Trump administration offered him a pardon if he agreed to say Russia was not involved in leaking Democratic National Committee emails during the 2016 U.S. election campaign, a lawyer for Assange said Wednesday.

Assange is being held at a British prison while fighting extradition to the United States on spying charges. His full court hearing is due to begin next week.

HANAU, Germany (AP) — A man suspected of fatally shooting nine people in the German city of Hanau was found dead at his home early Thursday, hours after the attacks in and outside two hookah lounges, police said.

Officers also found another body at the same address, police said.

Police gave no details of the suspected gunman but said “there are currently no indications of further perpetrators.” They did not give details of his possible motive or how he died, or specify why they believe “with a high degree of probability” that he was the assailant.

MOSCOW, February 19. /TASS/: Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained seven members of the Tablighi Jamaat religious extremist organization (outlawed in Russia) in Moscow and the Moscow Region, the FSB press office reported on Wednesday.

"Jointly with the Interior Ministry of Russia, the FSB has foiled on the territory of Moscow and the Moscow Region the activity of a cell of the Tablighi Jamaat international religious extremist organization that consisted of natives of the Central Asian region," the press office said.

ST. PETERSBURG, February 19. /TASS/: The Kremlin has still not announced its stance on the draft amendments to the constitution, since the final ideas have not been outlined yet.

On February 18, amendments to the Russian Constitution were submitted to the State Duma’s Committee on State Building and Legislation. They stipulate that Russia’s president will execute the general leadership of the government as well as ensure civil peace and harmony throughout the country.

ST. PETERSBURG, February 19. /TASS/: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov is not aware where former aide to the Russian president Vladislav Surkov will work but is certain that his talent and experience will be useful there.

"They [Russian President Vladimir Putin and Surkov] had a meeting, he [Surkov] was relieved of his position at his own request. There is no doubt that Surkov’s many years of experience and, without an exaggeration, talent will be put to good use," he told reporters Wednesday.

BERLIN, February 19. /TASS/: German companies in Russia have enhanced the efficiency of their operations and investments, despite the declining number of firms working in the country, and hope with the arrival of the new cabinet, Russia’s business climate will further improve, Chairman of the Board of the Russian-German Foreign Trade Chamber Matthias Schepp told TASS.

MOSCOW, February 19. /TASS/: A group of Russian military inspectors has visited a military facility of the Romanian Armed Forces in accordance with the 2011 Vienna Document on implementing confidence and security building measures, the Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) newspaper reported on Wednesday citing director of the National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center Sergey Ryzhkov.

MOSCOW, February 19. /TASS/: Russia’s Defense Ministry plans to sign a new contract in the summer for the delivery of several dozen Sukhoi Su-34 frontline bombers to the Aerospace Force with their combat capabilities expanded under the Sych experimental design work, a source in the defense industry told TASS on Wednesday.

ST. PETERSBURG, February 19. /TASS/: Turkey’s possible military operation in the Syrian province of Idlib would be the worst scenario, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked what Moscow’s reaction would be if Ankara launched an operation in Syria.

"Let us not expect the worst scenario to become a reality," he said.

The Kremlin spokesman added that "if it is an operation against Syria’s legitimate authorities and armed forces, it will definitely be the worst scenario."

19 Feb 2020; MEMO: Turkish and Russian delegations yesterday concluded a two-day meeting in the Russian capital, Moscow, on ways to ease tension in the Syrian governorate of Idlib without reaching a concrete “breakthrough”.

The two-day closed meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry ended without an official statement being issued by either side.