Europe

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s allies committed to supplying the country with advanced air defense systems as Russian forces attacked the Kyiv region with kamikaze drones and fired missiles at civilian targets elsewhere Thursday as payback for the bombing of a strategic bridge linking Russia with annexed Crimea.

13 October 2022; MEMO: Moscow will continue to work with the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) led by Saudi Arabia and will not give up its leading position in the global energy market despite Western sanctions, Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday.

Speaking at the Russia Energy Week, Putin added that Moscow is determined to keep oil production and export rates at their current levels until 2025.

SOFIA, Oct 12 (APP): Pakistan’s Ambassador to Bulgaria Ms. Mariam Madiha Aftab Wednesday said that since trade volume between the two countries did not commensurate with actual potential, the Bulgarian businesses should take advantage of still-unexplored Pakistani market and establish useful business linkages with their counterparts.

She assured full support of the Embassy to the concerned business associations and companies in Bulgaria in this regard.

MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/: Russia’s COVID-19 case tally rose by 15,640 over the past day to 21,248,603, the anti-coronavirus crisis center reported on Wednesday.

A day earlier, 13,970 daily cases were recorded.

As many as 1,813 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Russia over the past day, down 27.7% from a day earlier. The number of hospitalized patients decreased in 53 regions, while in 23 regions the figure increased. The situation remained unchanged in nine regions. A day earlier, 2,506 people were rushed to hospitals.

MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/: Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov hit out at a G7 scheme to use Russian assets to restore Ukraine as international racketeering and legalized theft.

Replying to a question about the Kremlin's take on the ideas voiced at the G7 summit, Peskov noted that they were perceived "extremely negatively". According to him, "they are talking about blatant attempts to discuss the possibility of legalizing previously committed theft."

MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/: Russia is ready to start gas supplies to Europe over the single remaining string of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday at the Russian Energy Week forum.

"Its [surviving string - TASS] capacity is 27.5 bln cubic meters per year, about 8% of total gas imports to Europe. Russia is ready for a start of such supplies. The ball is on the European Union’s side, as the saying is. We do not limit anyone, including readiness to supply extra volumes during the winter season," the President said.

WARSAW, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Germany said on Wednesday it was receiving less oil but still had adequate supplies, after Poland found a leak in the Druzhba pipeline that delivers crude from Russia to Europe that Warsaw said was probably caused by an accident rather than sabotage.

The discovery of the leak in the main route carrying oil to Germany, which operator PERN said it found on Tuesday evening, comes as Europe is on high alert over its energy security in the aftermath of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine which has cut supplies of gas.

Oct 12 (Reuters) - Another wave of COVID-19 infections may have begun in Europe as cases begin to tick up across the region, the World Health Organization and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said on Wednesday.

"Although we are not where we were one year ago, it is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic is still not over," WHO's Europe director, Hans Kluge, and ECDC's director, Andrea Ammon, said in a joint statement.

"We are unfortunately seeing indicators rising again in Europe, suggesting that another wave of infections has begun."

MOSCOW, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that major leaks which suddenly erupted in the Nord Stream gas pipelines running from Russia to Europe were an "act of international terrorism".

Putin said the attacks on the pipelines, which European and Western governments have called sabotage, set a "dangerous precedent".

LONDON, Oct 12 (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Wednesday scolded Western leaders for engaging in "provocative" nuclear rhetoric after a series of warnings from Russia, the United States and NATO on the dangers of escalating the Ukraine conflict into a nuclear war.

President Vladimir Putin on Sept. 21 warned the West he was not bluffing when he said he would be ready to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia against what he said was "nuclear blackmail" from major Western powers.