Europe

MOSCOW, December 15. /TASS/: The state tech corporation Rostec delivered a batch of the latest aerosol munitions against precision weapons to the Russian troops ahead of schedule, the Rostec press office reported on Wednesday.

‘The Central Research Institute of Precision Machine-Building (TsNIITochMash, part of Rostec) fulfilled its contract for the delivery of munitions against precision weapons to the Defense Ministry of Russia ahead of schedule. The items are capable of protecting materiel from optical and thermal homing missiles," the press office said in a statement.

BERLIN, December 15. /TASS/: A German court has sentenced a Russian national to life imprisonment over the high-profile murder of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a Georgian citizen, the presiding judge reported on Wednesday.

The case has been pending since October 2020 under heightened security conditions. The court found the Russian guilty of the murder and noted the particular severity of this crime. That said, the judge noted that "undoubtedly Khangoshvili was responsible for people’s deaths" when he collaborated with Chechen militants.

MOSCOW, December 15. /TASS/: The summit of Russia, India and China can be held in the near future, Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov said on Wednesday.

"The topic of cooperation in the Russia-India-China format was addressed," the Kremlin’s spokesperson said, summarizing the videoconference meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of China Xi Jinping. The leaders "agreed to continue exchanging opinions in this regard and to endeavor to hold the next summit within the RIC framework in the near future," Ushakov added.

MOSCOW, December 15. /TASS/: Christian Schmidt’s appointment as the new High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina is illegitimate without the authorization of the UN Security Council, and Moscow does not recognize this candidate, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told TASS on Wednesday.

ROME, Dec 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) – The Italian government, yesterday, approved a decree, allowing extension of the state of emergency over the pandemic for another three months.

Due to expire on Dec 31, the state of emergency was extended until Mar 31, 2022, thus confirming the cabinet’s special powers, in terms of anti-virus rules and crisis management.

The decree allows the central government to keep in place the latest anti-virus restrictions, issued to contain the fourth pandemic wave during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

BERLIN, Dec 14 (Reuters) - New German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Tuesday Russia would face "massive consequences" if it invades Ukraine, after a phone call with her Russian counterpart in which she said Kyiv's territory integrity must not be violated.

Baerbock called for "open and honest" dialogue with Russia over the Ukraine crisis during her exchange with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the German Foreign Ministry said.

MOSCOW, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The United States said it would share Russia's proposals for European security with its allies and partners after Moscow handed them over at talks with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried in the Russian capital on Wednesday.

The U.S. diplomat arrived at a time of soaring East-West tensions over a build-up of Russian troops near Ukraine. Western countries have warned Russia may be about to launch a new attack on Ukraine, something Moscow has denied.

BERLIN, Dec 15 (Reuters) - German police have foiled a plot by anti-vaccination activists to murder the state premier of Saxony in eastern Germany, they said on Wednesday, as concerns grow over an increasingly violent pushback against COVID-19 vaccination plans.

The plot to kill Michael Kretschmer is the latest in a series of incidents that underscore the anger of some Germans over restrictions on the unvaccinated and plans to make vaccinations compulsory for the general population.

BRUSSELS (AP) — The head of the European Union’s executive commission warned Russia on Wednesday that the bloc has a battery of additional sanctions ready if Moscow decides to invade neighboring Ukraine.

On the eve of an EU summit on the issue, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that beyond scaling up and expanding existing sanctions, the EU can adopt “unprecedented measures with serious consequences for Russia.″

LONDON (AP) — A public inquiry into Britain’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic will be led by a retired judge and start next year, the U.K. government announced Wednesday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said former Court of Appeal judge Heather Hallett will chair the COVID-19 inquiry, which is due to begin in spring 2022.

“She brings a wealth of experience to the role and I know shares my determination that the inquiry examines in a forensic and thoroughgoing way the government’s response to the pandemic,” Johnson said.