Europe

MOSCOW, October 6. /TASS/: It is time for the US State Department to admit its involvement in the situation in Ukraine, from regime change to motives for blowing up gas pipelines, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday.

"It's time for Washington to speak loudly, frankly and clearly about its true involvement in the situation in Ukraine, from regime change to their motives for destroying gas pipelines," Zakharova said.

MOSCOW, October 6. /TASS/: Journalist and public figure Vladimir Kara-Murza (recognized in Russia as a foreign agent), accused of discrediting the Russian armed forces, has been charged with high treason, the law enforcement agencies told TASS on Thursday.

"On Thursday, in the presence of his lawyers, Kara-Murza was charged under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code: High Treason," the agency's source said.

BRUSSELS, October 6. /TASS/: The European Union has adopted the eighth package of economic and individual sanctions against Moscow over the accession of four constituent entities to the Russian Federation, including the price cap on Russian oil and import bans worth 7 bln euro, the EU Council said in a statement on Thursday.

"The agreed package includes a series of biting measures intended to reinforce pressure on the Russian government and economy, weaken Russia's military capabilities," the statement said.

MOSCOW, October 6. /TASS/: Moscow sent comprehensive proposals on a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan to Baku and Yerevan, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a briefing Thursday.

"Our comprehensive proposals were sent to Baku and Yerevan; as we have announced earlier, Russian Foreign Minister’s special representative Igor Khovayev made a series of visits to the region for consultations on this issue," she said.

PARIS, Oct 6 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) — The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) urged the governments of its member States to increase support for teachers, warning of a deficit of 69 million teachers to provide universal basic education by 2030.

On World Teachers’ Day, celebrated every Oct 5 since 1994, UNESCO’s Director-General Audrey Azoulay called attention to a phenomenon that hits hardest in sub-Saharan Africa.

LONDON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Britain's Prince Harry, singer Elton John and other individuals have launched legal action against the publisher of the Daily Mail newspaper, alleging phone-tapping and other breaches of privacy, a law firm for some of the group said on Thursday.

Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday and the Mail Online, one of the most widely read news websites in the world, said it "utterly and unambiguously" denied the allegations.

THE HAGUE, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Russia has submitted preliminary objections to a genocide case against Moscow brought by Ukraine, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) said Thursday.

At the ICJ, the United Nations highest court for disputes between states, parties can file preliminary objections if they believe the court does not have jurisdiction in a case.

The filing, which the court tweeted Thursday it had received on Oct. 3, has not been made public.

GENEVA, Oct 6 (Reuters) - The U.N. rights council on Thursday voted down a Western-led motion to hold a debate about alleged human rights abuses by China against Uyghurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang in a victory for Beijing as it seeks to avoid further scrutiny.

The defeat (19 against, 17 for, 11 abstentions) is only the second time in the council's 16-year history that a motion has been rejected and is seen by observers as a setback to both accountability efforts, the West's moral authority on human rights and the credibility of the United Nations itself.

LONDON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence agencies believe parts of the Ukrainian government authorised a car bomb attack near Moscow in August that killed Darya Dugina, the daughter of a prominent Russian nationalist, the New York Times reported.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report, which cited unidentified U.S. officials. Ukraine repeated on Thursday its denial of any involvement in the attack.

PRAGUE, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Leaders of the European Union and neighbours from Britain to Turkey met on Thursday to discuss security and energy emergencies plaguing them all since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a symbolic summit that underlined Moscow's isolation.

The gathering in Prague was the inaugural meeting of the European Political Community (EPC), a brainchild of French President Emmanuel Macron, bringing together on an equal footing the EU's 27 member states and 17 other European countries.