Europe

MOSCOW, October 30. / TASS /: The total cost of 40% in the Arctic LNG-2 natural gas liquefaction plant construction project (10% of which were bought by Chinese CNOOC and CNPC, as well as French Total and a consortium of Japanese companies Mitsui and Jogme) is 675 bln rubles ($10 bln)," Novatek said in a statement on Wednesday.

MOSCOW, October 30. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is set to make a working visit to Hungary, will meet with Middle Eastern Christian church leaders in Budapest, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.

"President Putin is now leaving for Budapest for a working visit. He is set to hold talks with his colleague [Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor] Orban. Then, the Russian-Hungarian talks will take place, and a number of joint agreements will be signed. Putin and Orban will hold a press conference on the outcomes of the talks," Peskov informed.

MOSCOW, October 30. /TASS/: The Ukrainian side has changed its tone at the session of the Contact Group in Minsk, envoy of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) to Minsk talks Rodion Miroshnik told Rossiya-1 TV channel.

"We can note that at least the tone of [Ukraine's] envoy to the talks Leonid Kuchma was different today. He was much more understanding and practically talked openly about how Ukraine is interested in holding a summit in the Normandy format," Miroshnik said.

MOSCOW, October 30. /TASS/: Achievement of targeted indicators on exports of agriculture products may lead to problems with satisfaction of domestic needs in Russia, according to the economic monitoring report prepared by experts at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) and the Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy obtained by TASS.

Russia’s agriculture exports should reach $45 bln as set by President Vladimir Putin in the decree to be implemented by 2024. Agriculture Ministry expects it to reach $24.7 bln by the end of 2019.

MOSCOW, October 30. /TASS/: The Project 955A (Borei-A-class) lead nuclear-powered submarine Knyaz Vladimir (Prince Vladimir) test-fired a Bulava ballistic missile for the first time during trials in the White Sea, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday.

"For the first time ever, a seaborne Bulava ballistic missile was test-fired from the latest Project Borei-A strategic missile-carrying submarine Knyaz Vladimir," the ministry said.

GENEVA (Reuters) - Syria’s Constitutional Committee, composed of government and opposition members, met for the first time on Wednesday in the first step on what the United Nations says will be a long road to political reconciliation.

But experts seriously question whether the Assad government would be willing to give away much at the negotiating table after consolidating its military control on the ground.

LONDON (Reuters) - The phoney war is over. After months of rehearsing his election strategy, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is poised to run a high-risk campaign designed to exploit divisions over Brexit despite his public appeals for national unity.

Ahead of the Dec. 12 vote, he will focus on portraying his new Brexit deal with the European Union as a victory for a leader who many said would be unable to win concessions from Brussels and would instead leave without an agreement.

GENEVA, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers of Turkey, Iran and Russia on Tuesday evening welcomed the upcoming launch of the Syrian Constitutional Committee scheduled for Wednesday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a joint press conference that the launch of the Committee showed that there is no military solution for the Syrian conflict.

The three foreign ministers also confirmed their full adherence to the territorial integrity of Syria and expressed their stance to dismantle terrorism in all its manifestations in the country, he said.

LONDON (AP) — Britons will be heading out to vote in the dark days of December after the House of Commons on Tuesday backed an early national vote that could break the country’s political impasse over Brexit — or turn out to be merely a temporary distraction.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes electing a new crop of lawmakers will give his Conservative Party a majority and break the stalemate that blocked his plan to take Britain out of the European Union this month. This week the EU granted Britain a three-month Brexit extension until Jan. 31.

NOVO-OGARYOVO, October 29. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted the invitation from Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel to visit his country. During the meeting with the Russian leader, Diaz-Canel also "conveyed warm greetings from Raul Castro."

"I take this opportunity to reiterate the invitation to visit our country when it is possible for you," he said.

"Thank you very much for the invitation, I will be sure to take advantage of it. Please convey my best wishes to comrade Castro," Putin replied.