Europe

British Prince Andrew stripped of military honours over sex assault accusations

London [UK], January 14 (ANI): Soon after a New York judge gave the green light to a civil lawsuit by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that Britain's Prince Andrew sexually abused her when she was 17, the Queen's stripped The Duke of York of his military ranks and royal patronage.

2022-01-14T03:21:00.857143+00:00 IST

EU, NATO betting on de-escalation, dialogue in relations with Russia: Dutch Ministry

Paris [France], January 14 (ANI/Sputnik): The European Union and NATO are united on their position on Russia, betting on the de-escalation of tensions and dialogue, the Dutch Defense Ministry said.

2022-01-14T01:31:02.142864+00:00 IST

Sweden boosts patrols on Gotland Island amid NATO-Russia tensions: Reports

Zurich [Switzerland], January 14 (ANI/Sputnik): Sweden has decided to boost patrols on the Gotland island in the Baltic Sea amid the tensions in the NATO-Russia relations, media reported.

2022-01-14T00:17:16.911978+00:00 IST

Duke of York's military affiliations, Royal patronages returned to Queen

London [UK], January 13 (ANI): Duke of York's military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to the Queen, a statement from Buckingham Palace reported.

2022-01-13T18:08:07.924666+00:00 IST

UK lawmakers warned of suspected Chinese agent activities in Parliament: Speaker

London [UK], January 13 (ANI): UK lawmakers were warned on Thursday of the activities carried out by a suspected Chinese agent inside Parliament following an alert issued by the UK Security Service (MI5), Sputnik News Agency reported quoting a spokeswoman for Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle.

2022-01-13T17:23:37.567417+00:00 IST

UN Chief urges support for Afghanistan Central Bank to avoid economic collapse in 2022

New York [US], January 13 (ANI): The United Nations' Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called on the international community to quickly provide assistance to the central bank of Afghanistan and do more to inject liquidity in the country's economy to avoid a collapse in 2022.

2022-01-13T17:22:32.279253+00:00 IST

China adopts illegal approach in diplomatic row with Vilnius: Lithuanian Minister

Paris [France] January 13 (ANI): Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has accused China of using "coercive methods" to make Vilnius change its Taiwan policy, media reported on Thursday.

2022-01-13T17:00:23.746808+00:00 IST

Germany's daily COVID-19 infection record hits new high

Berlin [Germany], January 13 (ANI/Xinhua): The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Germany hit a new record of 81,417, around 17,000 more than a week ago, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases said on Thursday.

2022-01-13T16:38:39.829976+00:00 IST

Russia warns response if European security guarantees rejected by West: OSCE Envoy

Vienna [Austria], January 13 (ANI/Sputnik): Russia will have to take "necessary" measures if the United States and NATO fail to provide a constructive response to Russian-requested security guarantees within reasonable time, Russian Permanent Representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Alexander Lukashevich, said on Thursday.

2022-01-13T15:24:54.877728+00:00 IST

First Russian units from CSTO mission board planes in Almaty to return home: Moscow

Moscow [Russia], January 13 (ANI/Sputnik): First Russian military units from the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) mission in Kazakhstan have boarded planes in the Almaty airport to return to their permanent deployment bases, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

2022-01-13T13:35:36.910629+00:00 IST

Launch of Free Trade Agreement between India, United Kingdom a big step: UK envoy

London [UK], January 13 (ANI): Terming the launch of the Free Trade Agreement between India and the United Kingdom as a "big step", British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis on Thursday said that the FTA has a "huge potential and ambition between two democracies."

2022-01-13T12:30:29.071484+00:00 IST

India, UK will continue to work in improving trading relationship, addressing market access barriers outside of trade agreement: Joint statement

London [UK], January 13 (ANI): India and UK will consider the option of an Interim Agreement that generates early benefits for both countries, said a joint statement, adding that in parallel to trade negotiations, the India-UK Joint Economic and Trade Committee will continue to work in improving the trading relationship and addressing market access barriers outside of a trade agreement.

2022-01-13T11:33:53.975131+00:00 IST

Putin, Tokayev discuss start of CSTO forces withdrawal from Kazakhstan over phone

Moscow [Russia], January 13 (ANI/Sputnik): Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev have discussed issues related to the start of the withdrawal of CSTO forces from Kazakhstan during a phone conversation, the Kremlin said on Thursday.

2022-01-13T11:16:20.955437+00:00 IST

Europe's policy allows it to be 'influential player' in relation to Russia, China: Berlin

Berlin [Germany], January 13 ((ANI/Sputnik): Europe's overall policy allows it to be an "influential player," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Thursday ahead of the informal EU meeting in France.

2022-01-13T09:57:52.412927+00:00 IST

Russia confirms 21,155 new cases of COVID-19 in past 24 hours

Moscow [Russia], January 13 (ANI/Sputnik): Russia has confirmed 21,155 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which brings the cumulative total to 10,723,305, the federal response center said on Thursday.

2022-01-13T09:50:30.151574+00:00 IST

NATO chief informed EU countries' Defence Ministers about talks with Russia

Brussels [Belgium], January 13 (ANI/Sputnik): NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has informed defence ministers of the EU nations about the outcome of the negotiations between the alliance and Russia held in Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.

2022-01-13T04:07:38.362703+00:00 IST

Sherman meets with European leaders about Russia-Ukraine tensions

Washington [US], January 13 (ANI/Sputnik): US Deputy State Secretary Wendy Sherman met with European leaders to discuss ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine amid an alleged buildup of Russian forces on their western border, State Department spokesman Ned Price said

2022-01-13T00:19:01.740368+00:00 IST

Omicron 'dangerous' virus for unvaccinated people, warns WHO chief

Geneva [Switzerland], January 12 (ANI): The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is a "dangerous virus" particularly for those who are unvaccinated, World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.

2022-01-12T17:30:41.573299+00:00 IST

NATO offered Russia to mutually restore missions: Moscow

Moscow [Russia], January 12 (ANI): NATO has offered Russia to mutually restore the work of its missions, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, adding that Moscow has not yet responded on the offer.

2022-01-12T17:16:05.852462+00:00 IST

UK PM apologizes for attending Downing Street garden party during lockdown

London [UK], January 12 (ANI/Xinhua): British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologized on Wednesday for attending a Downing Street garden party during the country's first lockdown in 2020.

2022-01-12T16:34:36.259701+00:00 IST

UK Government suspends rollout of 'smart motorway' schemes amid safety concerns

London [UK], January 12 (ANI/Sputnik): The UK government announced on Wednesday that the rollout of the "smart motorway" scheme introduced before 2020 will be paused until the Department for Transport had collected five years of safety data.

2022-01-12T13:03:03.983946+00:00 IST