Europe

14 Feb 2020; MEMO: It is being described as one of the most successful espionage programs ever to exist. For more than half a century the CIA and the German spy agency, BND, oversaw a vast snooping industry which allowed them to pry on as many as 128 countries.

MOSCOW, February 14. /TASS/: Russia’s Tactical Missiles Corporation is carrying out work on developing small-size munitions for unmanned aerial vehicles, Corporation Chief Boris Obnosov said on Friday.

"This issue is important and developers are trying to reduce both the dimensional and weight characteristics of air-launched weapons. The items in the weight category of 50 kg to 100 kg will enjoy strong demand," the chief executive said at a news briefing on the results of the corporation’s performance in 2019.

MOSCOW, February 14. /TASS/: The Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) Commission on Foreign Interference in Russia’s Internal Affairs will track how the US administration spends budget funds allocated for countering "Russian propaganda," first deputy head of the United Russia parliamentary fraction Adalbi Shkhagoshev told TASS on Friday.

LONDON, Feb 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson began a post-Brexit shake-up of his top team Thursday by sacking his Northern Ireland minister, despite his role in restoring devolved government to Belfast.

Julian Smith was a surprise casualty of the Conservative leader’s first cabinet reshuffle since his victory in December’s general election and after Britain left the European Union on Jan 31.

MOSCOW, February 13. /TASS/: Head of the Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin expects new US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan to attend the launch of the Soyuz MS-16 manned spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) scheduled for April 9.

"The [next] manned space launch will take place in early April. We expect the presence of a NASA delegation and the US ambassador [to Russia]," Rogozin told reporters on Thursday.

LONDON, Feb 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Sajid Javid has resigned as chancellor as Boris Johnson carries out a post-Brexit cabinet reshuffle.

Javid rejected an order to fire his team of aides, saying “no self-respecting minister” could accept such a condition.

He has been replaced as chancellor by Chief Secretary to the Treasury Rishi Sunak – who just seven months ago was a junior housing minister.

Javid had been due to deliver his first Budget in four weeks’ time.

AMSTERDAM, Feb 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A letter bomb caught fire at a bank in Amsterdam on Thursday and another was disarmed at an office near Utrecht, the latest in a series of such attacks in the Netherlands this week.

No-one was hurt in the incident at an Amsterdam branch of ING Bank, a spokeswoman for the bank said, although police said one person had inhaled smoke.

“It did not explode, it caught fire,” said police spokesman Rob van der Veen.

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Belgium is working to bring home all children of Belgian militants held in refugee camps in Syria, providing their mothers’ consent, Foreign Minister Philippe Goffin said.

So far, 42 children in two camps in northeastern Syria have been identified as those of Belgian militants, according to aides of Belgian Foreign Minister Philippe Goffin.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Munich on Sunday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, the Interfax news agency reported on Friday.

On Thursday evening, Russia’s foreign ministry criticized statements from Ankara about Syria’s Idlib, after Turkey said it would use force against rebel groups violating a ceasefire in the region.

BERLIN (Reuters) - The EU and Britain have a shared interest in retaining close security ties after Brexit, Germany’s defense minister told Reuters in an interview.

Speaking ahead of the annual Munich Security Conference, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel and leader of their ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, said she wanted to keep Britain in the ‘E3’ group, which also includes Germany and France.