Europe

MUNICH (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Saturday cast China as a rising threat to world order — saying the world’s most populous nation steals Western know-how, intimidates smaller neighbors and seeks an “advantage by any means and at any cost.”

MUNICH (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday that a truce agreement between the United States and the Taliban that could lead to the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan is not without risk but “looks very promising.”

Ahead of a formal announcement of the seven-day “reduction in violence” deal, Esper said it was time to give peace a chance in Afghanistan through a political negotiation. He spoke a day after a senior U.S. official said the deal had been concluded and would take effect very soon.

MUNICH, February 15. /TASS/: The Turkish delegation will pay a visit to Russia on February 17 to discuss situation in the Syrian province of Idlib, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Saturday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

The minister told reporters that the delegation will go to Russia on Monday.

Cavusoglu again reiterated that Turkey won’t tolerate attacks in Idlib and Ankara is ready to take necessary action if diplomatic efforts don’t bear fruit.

MOSCOW, February 14. /TASS/: Scientists from Russia’s Far Eastern Federal University, University of Geneva and Fuzhou University have discovered a protein that takes part in development of lung cancer and melanoma. This discovery opens new possibilities for effective cure for metastases of these two types of cancer by targeted therapy medicine, the Far Eastern Federal University told TASS Friday.

TASS, February 15: Seven Russian passengers have left the troubled Westerdam cruise ship docked in Cambodia’s port of Sihanoukville on Saturday to return home, the Russian embassy in Cambodia told TASS. The Westerdam was forced to sail around Asian ports looking for one to dock for more than a week because of coronavirus fears.

LONDON, February 15. /TASS/: The Russian Embassy in the UK has expressed bewilderment about remarks by Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office Heather Wheeler who claimed that Christians' rights were not respected in Russia.

Wheeler made such a statement in the British parliament on February 6, mentioning Russia as part of a debate on the persecution of Christians around the world. She provided neither details nor evidence to substantiate her claims.

MUNICH, February 15. /TASS/: Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has revealed that he would like to hold local elections in all Ukrainian territories in October and "in Crimea as well."

"Our aspiration is to hold local elections in the whole of Ukraine in October, we would like [to hold] them in Crimea as well," he said, delivering a speech at the Munich Security Conference.

15 February 2020; AFP: Ten thousand people are expected to join a demonstration Saturday in Erfurt, capital of Thuringia state in Germany's former communist east, where far-right lawmakers last week helped install a new state premier.

15 Feb 2020; MEMO: The approval of the US’ allies to strengthen the role of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) mission in Iraq, indicates Washington’s intention to “disengage” militarily from Baghdad.

MUNICH (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended on Saturday his nation’s global role despite misgivings in Europe, vowing that Western values would prevail over Russian and Chinese desires for “empire”.

Seeking to reassure Europeans troubled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s “America first” rhetoric, his ambivalence over the NATO military alliance and tariffs on European goods, Pompeo said there was no crisis in Western leadership.