Europe

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to hold a telephone call with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on Saturday after Tehran said it had mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, the Ukrainian president’s office said.

The Ukrainian passenger airplane traveling to Kiev crashed shortly after take-off from Tehran on Wednesday, killing all 176 people on board.

Iran had previously denied any responsibility.

MOSCOW, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu discussed the situation in the Middle East with U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper during a phone conversation, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday.

"The situation in the Middle East region was discussed," the ministry said in a statement.

Tensions soared in the Middle East after a U.S. airstrike near Baghdad International Airport on Jan. 3 killed Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps.

Kiev, Jan 10 (AFP/PTI) US officials have handed Kiev "important data" following a plane crash in Iran, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said on Friday.

"President Volodymyr Zelensky and I met with US representatives," Prystaiko said in a post on Twitter. "We have received important data which will be processed by our experts.

LONDON, Jan 10 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain’s parliament finally approved Brexit on Thursday, allowing it to become the first country to leave the European Union later this month, ending years of arguments that toppled two governments and splintered society.

The House of Commons erupted in cheers after MPs ratified Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s divorce deal with Brussels by 330 votes to 231, turning the page on an extraordinary era of political drama and chaos.

KIGALI/OSLO, Jan 10 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Norway this year will take in 600 people evacuated to Rwanda from Libyan detention centers, the Nordic country said as it sought to discourage the smuggling of refugees across the Mediterranean Sea.

Rwanda, from where more than 2 million people were displaced amid genocide in 1994, signed a deal with the United Nations in September meant to help resettle people detained in Libya while trying to reach Europe.

ROSTOV-ON-DON, January 10. /TASS/: The crews of over 30 ships and vessels from the Caspian Flotilla have started preparations for their deployment to the sea in the new training year, the press office of the Southern Military District reported on Friday.

MOSCOW, January 10. /TASS/: Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has tasked the Russian military with monitoring the deployment of intermediate- and shorter-range missiles by the US.

"We need to carry out a profound analysis of potential military threats and outline the measures on improving the armed forces. The results of these efforts will be taken into account when drafting the country’s defense plan for the years 2021-2025," he said on Friday, opening a teleconference on the main spheres of activity of the Russian Defense Ministry for the year 2020.

MOSCOW, January 10. /TASS/: The Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia) expects that a date to sign a peace agreement with the United States will be fixed in the near future, Spokesman for the Taliban’s Qatar office Mohammad Sohail Shaheen told TASS on Friday.

"A date to sign the agreement has not been fixed. We expect to fix it soon," he said in response to a question.

MOSCOW, January 10. /TASS/: German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to Moscow, scheduled for January 11, will be a one-day trip, a spokesperson for the German embassy in Russia told TASS on Friday.

"The chancellor will arrive in Moscow for a one-day visit," the spokesperson said in response to a question.

According to the embassy spokesperson, Merkel would be accompanied by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. The agenda of the German chancellor’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to cover the developments in Syria, Libya, Iran, Iraq and Ukraine.

SUKHUM, January 10. /TASS/: Protesters are gathering near the office of the Abkhaz president, keeping the rally that started in Sukhum on Thursday going, TASS reports.

Interior Ministry officers and state guards are also on standby, yet they do not seem to be carrying weapons. According to earlier reports, around 100 people spent the night on the site.

The demonstrators told TASS that around 300 people are now inside the administration’s office, while approximately the same number of people have gathered outside.