Europe

MOSCOW, January 18. /TASS/: The Moscow authorities have approved a request for a protest rally against recently proposed constitutional amendments, which would involve up to 10,000 people, Moscow’s Department of Regional Security said in a statement.

"The Moscow city authorities have considered and approved a request for a public event in the form of a rally aimed at ‘protesting against the draft constitutional reform’ on Academician Sakharov Avenue, which would involve up to 10,000 people," the statement reads.

MOSCOW, January 18. /TASS/: Russia’s national air carrier Aeroflot decided to carry out Tehran flights only during daylight hours in order to ensure better identification of aircraft and reduce risks, Federal Air Transport Agency chief Alexander Neradko told reporters.

"We believe that in the daytime, there are more chances to identify a plane and there are fewer risks. This is why Aeroflot rescheduled its flights," Neradko said.

At the same time, he pointed out that the agency’s task force on flights over the Middle East continued to monitor the situation in the region.

YEREVAN, January 18. /TASS/: Armenia is negotiating mechanisms of fixed gas pricing for a ten-year period with Gazprom’s subsidiary Gazprom Armenia should the company announce an increase in the gas tariff, chairman of Armenia’s Public Services Regulatory Commission Garegin Baghramyan told reporters on Saturday.

"Today’s talks are aimed at fixing gas pricing mechanisms for a ten-year period if Gazprom Armenia submits an application on gas tariff change. That will, of course, be connected both with investments and the results of those investments," he said.

MOSCOW, January 18. /TASS/: The Ukrainian authorities pursue the policy of forced Ukrainization of the country, violating their commitments to protect human rights, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a note on Saturday.

18 January 2020; AFP: From grumpy bee-keepers dumping honey on politicians' doorsteps to furious farmers holding up traffic, increasing tensions between farmers and environmentalists have overshadowed the opening of the biggest show on Germany's agriculture calendar.

18 Jan 2019; MEMO: The final draft of the agreement to be discussed at the Berlin Conference, which will be held this Sunday, is almost ready according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, which expressed regret over the parties of the conflict’s refusal to meet with one another.

18 Jan 2019; MEMO: A Greek opposition party leader has likened Libya’s renegade commander Khalifa Haftar to former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, a convicted war criminal.

This came after Haftar visited Athens on Friday and met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias.

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Downing Street residence will be lit up with a countdown to Britain’s exit from the European Union on Jan. 31, as part of a light display to mark the moment of Brexit, the government said on Friday.

Johnson had proposed a crowdfunding campaign to allow the Big Ben bell in parliament’s clock tower to sound even though it has been largely silent since 2017 while renovation work is carried out on the tower.

ATHENS, Jan 18 (NNN-Xinhua) — Greece is ready to help Libya going forward once a solution is found to the conflict there, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias told the press following his meeting with Khalifa Haftar, commander of the east-based Libyan National Army (LNA).

The Libyan commander arrived in Athens on Thursday evening for talks with the Greek government before departing for Berlin to participate in a conference this weekend aimed at bringing to an end the long-standing conflict in the northern African country.

DUBLIN, Jan 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Some 19,000 Irish teachers will go on strike on Feb 4, potentially shutting schools just days before a national election in a bid to seek commitments to end a two-tier pay scale in the sector.

In a Feb 8 contest that pre-campaign polls suggest is too tight to call, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar’s re-election hopes may hinge on whether enough voters are feeling the benefit of a booming economy that has stretched public services still recovering from an economic crash a decade ago.