Europe

05 Jan 2019; MEMO: The Russian Ministry of Health has honoured Palestinian doctor, Imad Meri, as the best cardiology and resuscitation doctor in 2019, Palestine Information Centre (PIC) reported on Friday.

According to the PIC, Meri was hailed as the best doctor as a result of a series of achievements during his career.

05 Jan 2019; MEMO: Polish President Andrzej Duda has cancelled his participation in the World Holocaust Forum taking place in Israel, in protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s accusation that the Poles cooperated with Hitler.

Minsk (Belarus), Jan 3 (AP) Russia has halted oil supplies to Belarus after the two countries failed to renegotiate a contract amid talks on further improving economic ties.

Belarus' state-owned Belneftekhim oil company said Friday that Moscow has stopped supplying crude oil to the country's refineries until contracts for this year are drawn up.

The two Belarusian refineries were operating at low capacity, running on reserves from last year.

MINSK, January 4. /TASS/: Supplies of Russian natural gas to Belarus in January - February of this year will be carried at the price of 2019 - $127 per 1,000 cubic meters, press service of the Belarusian Energy Ministry told TASS.

"In accordance with the agreements reached, supplies in January - February will be made at the price of $127 per 1,000 cubic meters," the press service said.

THE HAGUE, January 4. /TASS/: Two acrobats from Russia fell from the height of 10 meters during the World Christmas Circus show in Amsterdam, the Dutch news agency ANP reported.

A man and a woman fell at the same time from the height of about ten meters and the man dropped on the woman at the same time. "This entails a couple from Russia performing the act known as ‘Sky Angels," producer Henk van der Meijden said. "They are known by performing without the safety net," he added.

MOSCOW, January 3. /TASS/: Russia and Belarus have found a temporary solution for renewing oil export to Belarusian oil refineries with the aid of one-off oil shipments from independent suppliers, a source in the Russian government informed TASS. Russia expects to finalize the corresponding agreement in the near future, the source added.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain warned its nationals to avoid all travel to Iraq, outside the Kurdistan region, and to avoid all but essential travel to Iran following the death of Qassem Soleimani.

“Given heightened tensions in the region, the Foreign Office now advise people not to travel to Iraq, with the exception of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and to consider carefully whether it’s essential to travel to Iran,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a statement.

“We will keep this under review.”

MADRID, Jan 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Spain’s electoral board ordered that Catalan separatist president Quim Torra be disqualified from being a member of Catalonia’s regional parliament, meaning he would lose his presidential post.

The electoral board decision comes after Catalonia’s High Court of Justice last month convicted Torra of disobedience for failing to remove separatist symbols from public buildings during an election campaign and banned him from holding public office for 18 months.

SOFIA, Jan 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Bulgarian veterinary authorities said they would cull 24,000 pigs after detecting an outbreak of African swine fever at a pig farm in the northeast of the country.

The outbreak is the first at an industrial farm since August when the virus hit six breeding farms in the Balkan country, forcing the vet authorities to cull over 130,000 pigs.

The outbreak was detected at a farm in the village of Nikola Kozlevo in the region of Shumen, the food safety agency said. The highly contagious disease affects pigs but not humans.

PARIS, Jan 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Top French officials met to hash out their strategy ahead of fresh pension overhaul talks with unions who have threatened wider protests alongside a crippling transport strike now it its fifth week.

“The government is at work to try to find a way toward a rapid compromise,” spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye told France 2 television as Prime Minister Edouard Philippe gathered ministers for the unscheduled meeting.