Europe

24 July 2019; DW: Yelena Grigoryeva, a prominent local campaigner for LGBT+ rights, was found fatally stabbed in St. Petersburg. Fellow campaigners said she regularly received death threats, but police failed to act on the reports.

A Russian activist who regularly protested for LGBT+ rights and opposition issues has been killed in St. Petersburg.

24 July 2019; DW: Prince Georg Friedrich Ferdinand had been threatening legal action over state reparations and royal heirlooms. His ancestor's support for the Nazi party is a considerable hurdle in his aim to reclaim royal possessions.

Prussian royal Prince Georg Friedrich Ferdinand faces pressure to drop his claims to over 1 million euros of damages from a north German state.

24 July 2019; DW: Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer used her inauguration speech to reinforce her committment to increasing military spending. AKK, as she is informally known, remains favorite to succeed Angela Merkel as German chancellor.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was sworn in as Germany's new defense minister on Wednesday morning at a special session of the lower house of the German parliament, the Bundestag.

AUSTRIA, July 24 (NNN-TELESUR) – The international governments that are still signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal will meet on July 28 in Vienna to discuss to what extent the agreement can be saved, according to the European Union’s diplomatic service.

China, France, Germany, Russia, United Kingdom, Iran and EU representatives will “examine issues linked to the implementation of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in all its aspects,” the EU statement said on Tuesday.

24 July 2019; DW: In August, Muscovites elect a new regional parliament. But protests have ensued because 19 opposition candidates have been barred from running. Dmitry Gudkov is one of them. He spoke to DW about the challenges he faces.

24 July 2019; DW: A day earlier Navalny had called on protesters to continue rallies against a decision to leave opposition candidates off local election ballot papers. He has faced repeated legal trouble, often tied to laws on protests.

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny said on Wednesday that he had been arrested ahead of planned protests in Moscow on Saturday, some weeks after he had been jailed for 10 days for breaking the country's strict protest laws.

24 July 2019; DW: Boris Johnson is assuming control of Britain, taking over from Theresa May. The day's proceedings will start with one final Prime Minister's Questions session for Theresa May Follow the latest here.

What you need to know:

- Theresa May will ask Queen Elizabeth II to invite Boris Johnson to form a new government

- The Queen is expected to appoint him during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace

VALLETTA, July 23 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was conferred here on Tuesday with the honorary membership the National Order of Merit of the Republic of Malta.

The ceremony was held in the capital Valletta in the presence of Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and other dignitaries.

Honorary membership in the National Order of Merit is conferred to foreigners who distinguish themselves in the promotion and strengthening of international relations or who have gained the respect and gratitude of the Maltese people.

LONDON (AP) — The Latest on Boris Johnson’s victory in the race to become Britain’s next prime minister (all times local):

2:25 a.m.

New Zealand says it’s ready to begin negotiating a free-trade agreement with Britain when Britain is ready.

Boris Johnson is due to take office as British prime minister on Wednesday and is likely to have many strong Brexit supporters in his administration.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she had congratulated Johnson via text message and is sure he will want to discuss the trade negotiations.

MOSCOW, July 23. /TASS/: The most likely candidate for the post of the British prime minister Boris Johnson needs to understand that Tehran does not seek confrontation with London, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told Al-Arabiya on Monday.

"Iran does not want confrontation with the UK, including on the issue of tankers," Zarif said.

"It is very important that Boris Johnson understands that Tehran does not seek confrontation but instead wants to rebuild good relations [between the two countries] based on mutual respect," he added.