Europe

LONDON, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) is ready to develop a new partnership unprecedented in scope with Britain, but it can never be the same as before after Brexit, visiting European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen said here Wednesday.

In a keynote speech at the London School of Economics (LSE), Von der Leyen, who spent a year studying here, said Jan. 31 will be a tough and emotional day when Britain finally ends its membership of the union.

PARIS, Jan 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — France and the United States have given themselves two weeks to try and resolve a row over a French digital tax, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said.

“I had a long talk with U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. We have decided to step up efforts to try and find a compromise, within the OECD, on digital tax”, Le Maire told reporters after a meeting in Paris with EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan.

KIEV, Jan 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) Boeing 737-800 crashed in Iran on Wednesday, killing all 176 people on board, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Iranian state TV. It was the first fatal crash for Kiev-based UIA.

It was not immediately clear what caused the crash, though Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency cited unspecified technical problems.

KIEV, January 8. /TASS/: President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky urged to refrain from putting forward "unverified versions" around the situation with the crash of a passenger plane of Ukraine International Airlines in Tehran.

"I ask everyone to refrain from speculating and putting forward unverified versions of the disaster before official reports," he said on Wednesday.

MOSCOW, January 8. /TASS/: The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency advised Russian airlines not to use airspace over Iran and Iraq, as well as over the Persian and Oman gulfs, the Agency said on Wednesday.

"Due to information on the existing risks to security of international flights of civil aircraft, the Federal Air Transport Agency recommends not using the airspace over the territories of Iran, Iraq, the Persian and Oman gulfs for flights of civil aircraft of the Russian Federation, including transit flights, until further notice," the message said.

BRUSSELS, January 8. /TASS/: European NATO nations await the United States’ reaction to Iran’s missile strikes at US military bases in Iraq, a diplomatic source in Brussels told TASS.

"The European NATO allies are awaiting Washington’s retaliatory actions. The alliance’s reaction will follow," the source said.

MOSCOW, January 8. /TASS/: Russian military personnel in Syria not only provides help to Syrians but also defend their motherland from terrorists, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in Damascus when visiting the headquarters of the Russian Armed Forces’ group stationed in Syria.

"Here, in Syria, you are not only addressing the task of helping the Syrian people in liberating [them] from terrorist groups and gangs. Here, in Syria, you are also protecting your own homes, preventing fighters from infiltrating Russia and our neighbor states," Putin addressed the Russian military.

MOSCOW, January 8. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky, expressing condolences over the tragic crash of a Ukrainian passenger plane near Tehran, the Kremlin press service said on Wednesday.

"Head of the Russian state offered words of sympathy and support to the families and friends of the victims," the press service said.

MOSCOW, January 8. /TASS/: 80 people were killed in Iran’s missile attack on US bases in Iraq, Reuters reported with reference to Iran’s state television.

Earlier, CNN said citing sources that the missiles launched by the Iranian side hit the part of the Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq where no American troops were stationed.

OSLO (Reuters) - Norway aims to reach a free-trade agreement with China by the end of 2020, more than a decade after initial negotiations began, the Norwegian industry minister told Reuters on Wednesday.

“By the end of last year we had good progress in the talks ... we continue to be optimistic and think it is realistic to get a deal in place during the year,” Torbjoern Roe Isaksen told Reuters on the sidelines of an industry conference in Oslo.