Europe

1 October 2019; AFP: Greece said Monday it wanted to start sending back thousands of migrants to Turkey, a day after a deadly fire sparked riots at an overcrowded camp on the island of Lesbos.

The decision, taken at an emergency cabinet meeting, came as officials in Greece and abroad called for action to ease the pressure on the crowded migrant camps spread across the Aegean islands.

ATHENS, Oct 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Greek government said it wants to send 10,000 migrants back to Turkey by the end of 2020, following an emergency cabinet meeting.

Athens would increase the rate from the “1,805 returned in the 4.5 years under the previous Syria government” of left-wing leader Alexis Tsipras, a cabinet statement said, a day after a deadly fire at a migrant camp on the Greek island of Lesbos.

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday there had been no impropriety in his relationship with a U.S. businesswoman which is now subject to a possible misconduct investigation.

The government of London said on Friday it had referred Johnson to Britain’s police watchdog for potential investigation over allegations of misconduct involving tech entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri while he was mayor of London.

“I can tell you there was no impropriety as far as I’m concerned,” Johnson said when asked about the allegations on LBC Radio.

GIRONA/BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) - Protesters gathered in the Catalan town of Girona early on Tuesday to mark the second anniversary of a banned independence referendum, some of them throwing eggs at police and toppling garbage containers.

Tensions between separatists in the region and Madrid have run high in recent days after Spain’s high court sent seven Catalan activists to jail over suspicions they were planning violent action in favor of Catalonia’s independence.

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson will shortly present the European Union with proposals for an amended Brexit agreement, including new ideas that remove the contested insurance policy for the Irish border that Britain previously signed up to.

More than three years since the 2016 referendum, the United Kingdom is heading towards an Oct. 31 exit date without a clear understanding of whether it will leave with a deal, without a deal or even leave by that deadline.

LONDON, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not face a confidence vote in the House of Commons this week, according to a meeting of opposition leaders on Monday to work out a way to prevent a no-deal Brexit.

Pressure eased on Johnson and his senior ministers after it emerged there would be no contentious issues raised in the House of Commons this week, with most Conservative politicians attending their annual party conference 338 km away from London in the northern city of Manchester.

(AP) —  John Kerry got “Swift Boated” in 2004. For Hillary Clinton in 2016, it was her “damn emails.” Remembering those failed Democratic presidential campaigns, Joe Biden is determined not to get “Ukrained” in 2020.

Since a whistleblower report last week revealed that President Donald Trump asked Ukrainian officials to investigate Biden, the former vice president has struck an aggressive tone.

PARIS, September 30. /TASS/: Transcripts of conversations between Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump can be made public only if both sides agree to do so, and should such proposals be put forward by Washington, Moscow is willing to discuss them, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

ROSTOV-ON-DON, September 30. /TASS/: Platov International Airport (part of the holding Airports of the Regions) in Rostov-on-Don will launch flights to the Chinese city of Sanya in autumn and winter, the press service of the Platov airport told reporters on Monday.

"In autumn and winter, we expand the geography of flights abroad from Platov airport. A new destination will be the southernmost city of China — Sanya, located on the Island of Hainan. The schedule is currently being discussed," the airport’s press service said.

PARIS, September 30. /TASS/: Russia is prepared to provide answers to the PACE’s constructive questions concerning rallies in Moscow, although it does not like the decision to hold debates on this subject.

"We do not like Russia’s internal affairs being discussed elsewhere. We believe it is exclusively our internal affair," Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media.