Europe

MOSCOW, January 22. /TASS/: Russia has registered 57,212 new confirmed COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, compared to 49,513 the day before, with the total number of infections reaching 11,044,986 cases, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters on Saturday.

According to the crisis center, the relative increase of new infections is at the level of 0.52%. The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations over 24 hours amounted to 9,902 which is 8.4% higher than the day before. The increase occurred in 46 regions.

MOSCOW, Jan 22 (Reuters) - British foreign minister Liz Truss is expected to visit Moscow in February for talks with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, the RIA news agency reported on Saturday, citing a diplomatic source.

The planned visit comes amid elevated tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine. Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made no breakthrough in talks on the issue this week but agreed to keep talking to try to resolve a crisis that has stoked fears of a military conflict. 

PARIS, Jan 22 (Reuters) - European Parliament member Gilbert Collard said on Saturday he is leaving Marine Le Pen's National Rally to join rival far-right presidential candidate Eric Zemmour, becoming the third Le Pen ally in a week to link up with Zemmour.

Last week, Jerome Riviere, head of Le Pen's National Rally group in the European Parliament, and Damien Rieu, parliamentary assistant to another National Rally EU lawmaker, also quit to join Zemmour's ranks. 

BERLIN, Jan 22 (Reuters) - The German government on Saturday distanced itself from comments made by its navy chief after video footage emerged in which the vice-admiral said Russian President Vladimir Putin deserved respect and that Kyiv would never win back annexed Crimea from Moscow.

German Navy Chief Kay-Achim Schoenbach apologized for his "rash" comments, published on YouTube and widely circulated on German media, and called them a mistake.

KYIV, Jan 22 (Reuters) - The first shipment of the United States' $200 million security support package for Ukraine arrived in Kyiv, the U.S. Embassy said on Saturday.

The delivery followed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Kyiv this week amid concerns from Kyiv and its Western allies over tens of thousands of Russian troops amassed at the border with Ukraine. Russia denies planning a new military offensive.

Washington approved the $200 million package in December.

MOSCOW, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Political advisers from Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany will hold "Normandy format" talks on eastern Ukraine in Paris on Jan. 25, a source in Russian President Vladimir Putin's administration said on Saturday.

Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to Ukraine's chief negotiator Andriy Yermak, confirmed that a meeting in Paris was planned but told Reuters a preliminary date had been set for Jan. 26.

The planned talks come amid elevated tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine.

LONDON, Jan 22 (Reuters) - A British Conservative lawmaker said he would meet police to discuss his accusations that Boris Johnson's government had attempted to "blackmail" parliamentarians who were suspected of trying to force the prime minister from office.

William Wragg, chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee and a member of Johnson's ruling party, said on Thursday some Conservatives had faced intimidation and blackmail from government representatives because of their desire to topple Johnson. 

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Delegates from the party of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel endorsed prominent conservative Friedrich Merz as the Christian Democratic Union’s new leader Saturday as the center-right party seeks to redefine itself.

Merz received 94.6% of the vote from 983 delegates who cast ballots during an online party convention. The vote was mostly a formality since he won 62.1% in balloting among the party membership in December, defeating two centrist contenders.

HELSINKI (AP) — The Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will send U.S.-made anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine in a move that Washington says it is fully endorsing amid Kyiv’s escalating tensions with Russia

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a tweet posted on Saturday that Washington saluted the three NATO nations and former Soviet republics “for their longstanding support to Ukraine”.

LONDON (AP) — Revelations that Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his staff partied while Britain was in a coronavirus lockdown have provoked public outrage and led some members of his Conservative Party to consider ousting their leader.

If they manage to push Johnson out — or if he resigns — the party would hold a leadership contest to choose his replacement.

Here’s a look at who could rise if Johnson falls:

RISHI SUNAK, TREASURY CHIEF