Europe

6 Nov 2019; MEMO: The Russian Foreign Ministry said yesterday that Iran’s decision to start the fourth step to reduce its nuclear obligations under the 2015 deal is a “logical” result of the stagnation in resolving problems related to the agreement.

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has compared his main rival to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin as he prepares to officially launch the governing Conservative Party’s campaign for the Dec. 12 election.

Johnson, writing in the Daily Telegraph, says Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party would “raise taxes so wantonly” that it would destroy Britain’s prosperity.

He says Labour leaders are attacking the rich “with a relish and vindictiveness not seen since Stalin persecuted the kulaks,” the wealthier peasants who were targeted by the Soviet regime in the 1930s.

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s foreign minister says China’s Huawei will take part in the construction of the country’s next-generation 5G wireless network.

Peter Szijjarto said Tuesday in Shanghai, China, that Huawei will be cooperating with Britain’s Vodafone and Germany’s Deutsche Telekom in the project. He added that Hungary does not discriminate between companies based on their country of origin, as long as they respect Hungary’s laws and regulations.

BERLIN (AP) — Germany says the U.S. government’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement is “regrettable” but no surprise.

Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said Tuesday that the U.S. had announced its plan to withdraw from the pact two years ago and “luckily it has remained alone in doing so.”

MOSCOW, November 3. /TASS/. The Russian world and culture are always open to cooperation and collaboration, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday at an awarding ceremony at the Kremlin timed to coincide with Day of National Unity.

The head of state awarded some foreign nationals for merits in strengthening peace, friendship, cooperation and understanding between the nations.

BUCHAREST, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Romania's new cabinet headed by National Liberal leader Ludovic Orban took the oath of office late Monday before President Klaus Iohannis at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.

Iohannis congratulated everyone in the National Liberal Party (PNL) who had done an "incredible" job and managed to convince the opposition parties and other parliamentarians to vote together for the new government.

"A very great achievement," he stressed.

OSLO, Nov 5 (NNN-XINHUA) – Nine Filipino crew members were kidnapped from a cargo ship, owned by Norwegian shipping company, J.J. Ugland.

The nine people were taken off the bulk vessel, while it was waiting to be unloaded, off the coast in Benin, according to a statement released by Ugland.

While the company did not mention the nationalities of the hostages, Norwegian online newspaper E24, quoted a source of Norwegian Shipowners’ Association as saying that, they were all Filipinos.

MOSCOW, Nov 5 (NNN-SPUTNIK) — Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said Tuesday that Russia was ready to assist in talks between Damascus and Kurds on the SDF joining the Syrian government army.

“We have repeatedly said that we support the dialogue between Kurdish representatives and the central authorities in Damascus and consider the Kurds as an integral part of Syrian society,” Vershinin told reporters.

5 Nov 2019; MEMO: The first meeting on Monday of a 45-member body, tasked with drafting a new constitution for Syria, was “turned out in a positive way”, the co-chair of the opposition group said.

“I could say it turned out in a positive way because we have decided the method of the agenda which will start following tomorrow,” said Hadi Albahra, the co-chair for the opposition group, when questioned by Anadolu Agency after a two-hour meeting.

MOSCOW, November 1. /TASS/. The United States seems to be seeking to break down the entire system of strategic stability, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Rossiya-24 TV channel on Friday.

"The Americans’ recent actions suggest an idea that they would be glad to wreck the entire system of international treaties, at least in the sphere of strategic stability and arms control," Lavrov said.