Europe

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to defend his actions during his presidency in a long interview Wednesday on national television, in a bid to boost his popularity ahead of April’s presidential election.

Macron, who is expected to seek a second term, has yet to formally declare his candidacy. He is under criticism from rivals in the race who say he is already campaigning and is using his presidential status to do so.

MADRID (AP) — Residents on the Spanish island of La Palma dared to hope Wednesday that their volcanic eruption is over after almost three months of unnerving daily explosions, earthquakes, rivers of molten rock and a huge ash plume containing toxic gases.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The leaders of four political parties set to join forces in the next Dutch ruling coalition pledged Wednesday to tackle thorny problems including climate change and housing shortages and to strengthen education and a health care system that has been stretched almost to breaking point by the COVID-19 pandemic.

MADRID (AP) — Residents on the Spanish island of La Palma dared to hope Wednesday that a volcanic eruption is over after almost three months of unnerving daily explosions, earthquakes, rivers of molten rock and a huge ash plume containing toxic gases.

The Cumbre Vieja volcano in the Canary Islands off northwest Africa fell silent on Monday evening, and scientists said its 36 hours or so of negligible activity might signal the beginning of the end of the eruption.

LONDON (AP) — Behind a heavy oak door in Parliament, Prime Minister Boris Johnson implored Conservative lawmakers to back him by voting for new restrictions to help slow the fast-spreading omicron variant.

BRUSSELS (AP) — The head of the European Union’s executive branch said Wednesday that omicron is expected to be the dominant coronavirus variant in the 27-nation bloc by mid-January, amid concerns that a dramatic rise in infections will leave Europe shrouded in gloom during the holiday season.

MOSCOW, December 14. /TASS/: The unique flat nozzle demonstrated during the roll-out of the latest S-70 ‘Okhotnik’ (‘Hunter’) heavy strike drone will most likely be installed on the next modifications of the Su-57 fifth-generation fighter for stealth purposes, Russian Air Force merited pilot Major-General Vladimir Popov told TASS on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, December 14. /TASS/: Russian Ambassador to UK Andrey Kelin speculated that London may deploy military bases in Ukraine under a bilateral agreement.

"In theory, such situation is possible," he said on TV Tuesday, answering a question. "This is a privileged partnership, which the Americans, for example, have with a number of eastern countries, in the Asia Pacific region in particular. However, it would mean a circumvention of the basic act and the obligation of military restraint cemented in it."

MOSCOW, December 14. /TASS/: Russia’s COVID-19 cases surged by 28,343 in the last 24 hours to 10,074,797, the anti-coronavirus crisis center said on Tuesday, noting that it was the first time in more than a month when the daily caseload hit fewer than 29,000.

In relative terms, the COVID-19 incidence climbed by 0.28% over the past day.

MOSCOW, December 14. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will address NATO’s belligerent rhetoric and tense situation in Europe during the talks, which are going to take place on Wednesday via video linkup, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Tuesday.