Europe

London, Oct 22 (PTI) British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday "paused" his Brexit Bill for leaving the European Union (EU) by the October 31 deadline after MPs vote for it 329 to 299 but then voted against a crucial attached motion that would have seen it through by the end of the week.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Wednesday that the United States had betrayed and abandoned the Syrian Kurds and advised the Kurds to withdraw from the Syrian border as per a deal between Moscow and Ankara or be mauled by the Turkish army.

The comments by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov to Russian news agencies followed a deal agreed on Tuesday between Russia and Turkey that will see Syrian and Russian forces deploy to northeast Syria to remove Kurdish YPG fighters and their weapons from the border with Turkey.

PARIS, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said that China is confident of reaching an investment deal with the European Union (EU).

In an interview with AFP during his visit in France on Monday, Wang said China and EU are each other's largest trade and economic partner, and both hope that economic and trade cooperation will become more standardized and law-based. He said China holds a positive attitude towards the signing of a comprehensive investment agreement with EU.

LONDON, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday was defeated in a vote on his Brexit timetable, meaning his government could push for a general election.

After the vote, the prime minister said: "I must express my disappointment that the House has again voted for delay rather than a timetable that would have guaranteed the UK would have been in a position to leave the EU (European Union) on Oct. 31 with a deal."

Lawmakers voted 308 to 322 to turn down his proposed rapid timetable for Brexit bill.

LONDON (AP) — The Latest on Brexit (all times local):

9:35 p.m.

European Council President Donald Tusk says he will recommend that the EU grant Britain’s request for an extension to the Oct. 31 Brexit deadline.

Tusk tweeted Tuesday that he will urge the other 27 EU nations to approve Britain’s delay.

Britain has sought a three-month delay until the end of January 2020. That was done after Parliament passed a law forcing Prime Minister Boris Johnson to seek the delay.

Without elaborating, Tusk said he will propose a written procedure for the delay.

DONETSK, October 22. /TASS/: The Appeals Chamber of the Supreme Court of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) has sentenced Ukrainian journalist Stanislav Aseyev to 15 years of imprisonment, the press service of the supervisory authority reported.

MOSCOW, October 22. /TASS/: Two Russian Tu-95MS strategic missile-carrying bombers performed a flight over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan, the Yellow and East China Seas, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday.

"Two Tu-95MS strategic missile-carrying bombers of the Aerospace Force performed planned flights over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan, the Yellow and East China Seas," the ministry said in a statement.

The bombers were escorted by Russian Su-35S fighter jets and A-50 long-range radar surveillance planes, the statement says.

MOSCOW, October 22. /TASS/: Vitaly Naumkin, academic director of the Institute for Oriental Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, has told TASS that he had been appointed as senior political adviser to UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen.

"Yes, that’s right," he said on Tuesday. "I am going to Geneva in this connection."

Naumkin earlier served as senior political adviser to previous UN Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura.

On October 29, the first meeting of the Syrian Constitutional Committee is expected to be held in Geneva.

MOSCOW, October 22. /TASS/: A safe containing 18 kilos of gold was found at the site of a dam collapse in the Krasnoyarsk Region in Russia’s Siberia, a source in law enforcement agencies told TASS.

"There are 18 kilos of gold in total in the safe discovered by Russian Emergencies Ministry rescuers," the source said.

According to the interlocutor, the safe was stored in one of the buildings destroyed by water flow. Overall, two temporary dormitories and three other facilities were washed away.

MOSCOW, October 22. /TASS/: Russia is interested in opening a joint venture for arms production in the Philippines, Russia’s Ambassador to that country Igor Khovayev said at a news conference, Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.

"We are ready to organize the joint production of modern types of armaments and small arms here, in the Philippines. You, the Filipinos, will be producing Russian armaments. These will be Filipino products under Russian technologies," Xinhua quoted Khovayev as saying.