Europe

KIEV, May 12./TASS/: Legislator Alexey Goncharenko took to his Telegram channel on Thursday and disclosed that the "Opposition Platform - For Life" party was liquidated in the Ukrainian parliament.

"The faction of the ‘Opposition Platform - For Life’ was officially liquidated," he blogged.

VILNIUS, May 12. /TASS/: The Latvian Saeima passed the final reading of a bill that suspends an agreement with Russia regarding monuments, it said in a statement on Thursday, referring to the legislation that potentially allows demolition of the monument to Soviet soldiers in Riga.

VILNIUS, May 12. /TASS/: Lithuania recalls its Ambassador to Russia Eitvydas Bajarunas since June 1, Lithuanian National Television and Radio reported Thursday.

According to the report, the recall of the envoy is included in a draft government decree, registered Thursday.

The Lithuanian government also intends to shut down the consulate general in St. Petersburg on June 7.

MOSCOW, May 12. /TASS/: The culpability for the global consequences of sanctions against Russia, including possible hunger in a number of countries, rests with Western countries who for the sake of their domination are ready to sacrifice the rest of the world, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting on economic issues on Thursday.

GENEVA, May  12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UN human rights office said it was “appalled” at the killing of a veteran Al Jazeera reporter in the West Bank and demanded a transparent investigation into her death.

 “We are appalled at the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh while covering an Israeli military operation in Jenin, Palestine,” UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet’s office said on Twitter, adding: “We urge an independent, transparent investigation into her killing. Impunity must end.”

Shireen Abu Akleh, 51, was shot dead as she covered an Israeli army raid.

PARIS, May 12 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday told his Finnish counterpart that France fully supported the country's choice to join NATO, the Elysee presidential office said in a statement.

Finland must apply to join the NATO military alliance "without delay", its president and prime minister said on Thursday, in a historic policy shift triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

BERLIN, May 12 (Reuters) - Russia, not Ukraine, needs de-Nazification, the leader of anti-Kremlin punk band Pussy Riot, who left Russia this week by disguising herself as a food courier, said before her group kicks off a concert tour against the war.

At a rehearsal for a concert on Thursday in the German capital, Maria Alyokhina said Russians needed to think carefully about the war.

KYIV, May 12 (Reuters) - One of the fighters holed up in a steelworks besieged by Russian forces in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol has appealed to SpaceX billionaire Elon Musk to help evacuate them.

Many civilians were rescued from the sprawling Azovstal plant last week under an agreement with Russia, but no deal has been reached with Moscow on allowing out hundreds of fighters, some of whom are wounded, after weeks of bombardment. 

LONDON, May 12 (Reuters) - Russia said on Thursday that Finland's bid to join NATO was a hostile move that "definitely" posed a threat to its security.

The Kremlin said it would respond but declined to spell out how, saying this would depend on how close NATO moves military assets towards the 1,300 km (800-mile) Finnish-Russian frontier.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Russia would need to take "retaliatory steps, both of a military-technical and other nature, in order to stop threats to its national security arising".

HELSINKI/KHARKIV, Ukraine, May 12 (Reuters) - Finland said on Thursday it would apply to join NATO "without delay", with Sweden expected to follow, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine looked set to bring about the very expansion of the Western military alliance that Vladimir Putin aimed to prevent.