Europe

MOSCOW, December 4. /TASS/: The Board of Founders of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) has approved Veronika Loginova as Director General of the organization, a source in the press service of the Association of Russian Lawyers, which is one of the founders of the agency, told TASS.

MOSCOW, December 4. /TASS/: Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev has been re-elected as Chairman of the ruling United Russia Party. A respective decision was made by the party’s congress on Saturday.

The term of powers of United Russia Chairman is five years, according to party rules.

PARIS, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Europe crossed 75 million coronavirus cases on Friday as the region braces for the new Omicron variant at a time when hospitals in some countries are already strained by the current surge.

More than 15 countries in Europe have reported confirmed cases of the new variant that has rattled financial markets. The European Union’s public health agency said on Thursday that the Omicron variant could be responsible for more than half of all COVID-19 infections in Europe within a few months.

MOSCOW, Dec 4 (Reuters) - The Belarusian state border service has accused a Ukrainian military helicopter of flouting its border during drills and flying up to one kilometre (0.62 miles) into Belarusian territory, the RIA news agency reported on Saturday.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

The accusation comes amid tensions in the region with Ukraine and the West accusing Russia of a military buildup that has sparked fears of a possible attack. Russia denies any such plans and accuses Ukraine of a buildup.

Belarus is a close Russian ally.

PARIS, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Valerie Pecresse, who has described herself as "one-third Thatcher, two-thirds Merkel", has won the French conservative Les Republicains (LR) ticket for the 2022 presidential election and will now aim to thwart Emmanuel Macron's re-election bid.

Opinion polls have so far shown the 54-year-old head of the Paris Ile-de-France region winning about 11% of the votes at best in next April's election, giving her little chance of making it to a second-round runoff, let alone winning it.

MOSCOW, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Russia has dismissed new U.S. media reports about a possible Russian attack on Ukraine, accusing Washington of trying to aggravate the situation while blaming Moscow, the Kommersant newspaper said on Saturday, citing the Foreign Ministry.

The Washington Post cited officials and an intelligence document on Saturday as saying U.S. intelligence thought Russia could be planning a multi-front offensive on Ukraine as early as next year involving up to 175,000 troops.

(AP) --- German Chancellor-designate Olaf Scholz’s center-left party gave its overwhelming approval Saturday to forming a new government with environmentalist and pro-business parties — the first of three such decisions needed for Scholz to take office next week.

Scholz’s Social Democrats narrowly won Germany’s Sept. 26 election and launched negotiations with the Greens and the business-friendly Free Democrats to form a governing coalition that hasn’t been tried before at the federal level. They emerged with a deal on Nov. 24 after relatively quick negotiations.

BERLIN (AP) — Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday made what is likely her final appeal before leaving office next week for Germans to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Merkel gave what is expected to be her last weekly video message two days after federal and state leaders decided on a series of measures meant to break a wave of coronavirus infections.

03 Dec 2021; MEMO: The latest round of talks between Iran and other parties to the 2015 nuclear deal in Vienna ended on Friday without any significant breakthrough, Anadolu News Agency reports.

The parties — Iran and the P4+1 countries — are expected to reconvene in the Austrian capital next week after holding consultations in their respective capitals.

The decision was taken after a meeting of the joint commission of the nuclear deal, also known as the joint comprehensive plan of action (JCPOA), in the afternoon.

MOSCOW, December 3. /TASS/: Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin received the Serb member of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Presidium, Milorad Dodik in the Kremlin.

"We did not announce that. It is true that the leader of Republika Srpska did meet with Putin face to face. It was a very useful and detailed discussion," Peskov said.