Europe

MOSCOW, August 28. /TASS/: Discussing Russia’s potential comeback to the Group of Eight (G8) is "a small, yet important" signal for business, AmCham (American Chamber of Commerce) President Alexis Rodzianko told TASS.

"I can say that from the standpoint of business, the fact that discussions started on the possible return of Russia to the G8 is a positive signal in itself," Rodzianko said.

MOSCOW, August 28. /TASS/: The Kremlin welcomes a Kiev court’s decision to release RIA Novosti Ukraine Chief Editor Kirill Vyshinsky from custody, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"The Kremlin welcomes the decision to release Vyshinsky. We will refrain from making assessments for now. We welcome the decision," he said.

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will limit parliament’s opportunity to derail his Brexit plans by announcing his new legislative agenda on Oct. 14 - his boldest move yet in the push to take the country out of the European Union on Oct. 31.

A government source said Johnson, who has vowed to take Britain out of the EU without a divorce deal if necessary, plans to set an Oct. 14 date for the Queen’s Speech - the formal state opening of a new session of parliament.

PARIS (Reuters) - France has proposed Sylvie Goulard, the deputy governor of the Bank of France and a former European lawmaker, as its candidate for European Union commissioner, a French diplomatic source told Reuters on Wednesday.

The move comes with President Emmanuel Macron’s government looking to clinch a top portfolio such as trade or climate.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Jailed Russian journalist Kirill Vyshinsky was freed from custody in Ukraine on Wednesday after a court ordered his release on bail, the TASS news agency reported.

Vyshinsky, the head of Russia’s state-backed RIA Novosti news agency in Ukraine, was arrested last year and accused of supporting pro-Russian separatists. Vyshinsky faces up to 15 years in jail if convicted of the charges.

EDINBURGH, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The increasing prospect of a no-deal Brexit could put the second Scottish Independence referendum onto a fast track as the historic geopolitical shift may further sour the fragile relations between Westminster and the pro-Remain region.

LONDON, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Political opposition leaders at Westminster held their first joint meeting in London Tuesday, aiming at finding a way of stopping Prime Minister from taking Britain out of the European Union without a deal.

The meeting, chaired by main opposition leader, Labour's Jeremy Corbyn, was also attended by the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP), Liberal Democrats, Greens and Plaid Cymru, the Party of Wales.

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian aircraft leasing company that ordered 35 Boeing Max jets is suing the U.S. aircraft maker and seeking to cancel the deal, accusing Boeing of hiding defects in the plane that was grounded after two deadly crashes.

The Miami-based lawyer for the leasing company said Tuesday it is the first lawsuit filed against Boeing by a Max customer. He said he is talking to other companies about joining the case.

MOSCOW, August 27. /TASS/: Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri asked Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for Moscow’s support in order to avoid heightened tensions between Lebanon and Israel, the Russian Foreign Ministry informed on Tuesday.

"Due to the incident with Israeli drones in the sky above Beirut on August 25, Hariri has addressed Russia with the request to use its authority and influence to avoid further escalation of tensions between Israel and Lebanon posing a threat to regional security," the ministry reported.

MOSCOW, August 27. /TASS/: Members of the Russian State Duma (the lower house of parliament) don’t have plans to meet with US congressional delegations anytime soon, Chairman of the State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Leonid Slutsky told reporters, commenting on a statement by US senator Ron Johnson, who said that he had been denied a visa to Russia for a visit as part of a congressional delegation.