Europe

MOSCOW, March 18. /TASS/: The West is waging an information war against Russia, it includes elements of information terrorism, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday in an interview with the RT TV channel.

"Substitution of notions often takes place. When something happens, like mass protests, demonstrations that they [the West] don’t like, they immediately call it domestic terrorism. It’s a war. It’s a war which involves methods of information terrorism. There is no doubt about this," he said.

MOSCOW, March 18. /TASS/: Russia’s COVID-19 case tally rose by 34,442 over the past day to 17,518,699, the anti-coronavirus crisis center reported on Friday.

In relative terms, the growth rate reached 0.2%.

As many as 5,513 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Russia over the past day, up 10.1% from a day earlier. The number of hospitalized patients increased in 49 regions, while in 36 other regions the figure decreased. A day earlier, 5,008 people were rushed to hospitals.

LONDON, March 18. /TASS/: Ofcom, the British media regulator, has revoked RT TV channel’s license to broadcast in the UK upon the government’s request, according to a statement on Friday.

"Ofcom has today revoked RT's license to broadcast in the UK, with immediate effect. We have done so on the basis that we do not consider RT’s licensee, ANO TV Novosti, fit and proper to hold a UK broadcast license," the statement reads.

It said the license revocation came amid 29 ongoing Ofcom inspections regarding "the impartiality of RT's coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine."

MOSCOW, March 18. /TASS/: India is aware of the goals of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine and takes a balanced position on this issue, Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov said in an interview with the Russia-24 TV channel.

"India is well aware of not only the goals of the operation, but also the origin of the security situation in Europe, all circumstances of Russian-Ukrainian relations in recent years and decades. This is one of the purposes why India is taking a fairly balanced position in relation to the aggravation that we are witnessing," Alipov noted.

MOSCOW, March 18. /TASS/: US President Joe Biden’s remarks addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin are in fact personal insults, but the Kremlin will not respond to them with strong comments, bearing in mind the US leader’s fatigue, irritability and forgetfulness, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media.

"We do hear and see statements addressed to President Putin that in fact constitute a personal insult," he stated.

The Kremlin official said that Biden took the liberty of making such statements virtually every day.

DUBLIN, Mar 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Irish Prime Minister, Micheal Martin, tested positive for COVID-19, while on a visit to the United States, his office said in a news release yesterday.

In a statement, President Michael D. Higgins sent his good wishes to Martin.

“I was so very sorry to learn of this news breaking, while the Taoiseach (prime minister in Irish) was busy representing Ireland in the United States, leading up to our National Day,” he wrote.

PARIS, March 18 (Reuters) - French President Macron on Friday told his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, that he is "extremely concerned" about the situation in Mariupol, which has been hit by constant shelling over recent days, according to the French presidential office.

The call lasted just over one hour, the Elysee added.

LVIV, Ukraine March 18 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he spoke with the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Friday and Ukraine expects progress to be made on its application to join the European Union in the coming months.

"Had substantial conversation with EC President," Zelenskiy said on Twitter. "EC opinion on UA (Ukraine) application for #EU membership will be prepared within few months. UA Government and EC are instructed. Moving to our strategic goal together."

MADRID, March 18 (Reuters) - The sister of an Iranian-American environmentalist made a plea for his release after two dual nationals including British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe were allowed to leave the country this week.

Taraneh Tahbaz told Reuters that her brother, Morad Tahbaz, who also holds British citizenship, had been taken back to prison on Friday after being released on furlough on Wednesday.

BERLIN, March 18 (Xinhua) -- The German government said on Friday that the Bundestag (lower house of Parliament) has approved to double a planned one-time heating allowance for low-income groups to offset the effect of rising energy prices.

Entitled single households are now to receive 270 euros (299 U.S. dollars) instead of 135 euros. Two-person households are to get 350 euros, while students are to receive 230 euros, according to a government statement.