Europe

MOSCOW, November 9. /TASS/: Russia’s wheat production will amount to 74 mln tonnes in 2019-2020 agricultural year (June 2019 - July 2020), according to the estimate of the US Department of Agriculture. In September and October, it projected 72.5 mln tonnes. Wheat export projection has been raised to 34.5 mln tones from 34 mln tonnes in previous months.

The official grain harvest outlook of the Russian Agriculture Ministry for 2019 is 120 mln tonnes, including 78 mln tonnes of wheat. Previously the ministry projected grain harvest at 115-118 mln tonnes.

SARATOV, November 8. /TASS/: France may need expert help from Russia in the restoration of the Notre Dame cathedral after the April fire, French Ambassador to Russia Sylvie Bermann told TASS on Friday during her working visit to the Saratov region.

DONETSK, November 9. /TASS/: Ukraine and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) have started the disengagement of forces along the line of contact in the Petrovskoye area.

"The DPR mission to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) welcomes the start of disengagement of equipment and forces beyond the disengagement section reported by the OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission," the JCCC said.

9 November 2019; AFP: Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday urged Europe to defend democracy and freedom as Germany marked 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, warning that such gains must not be taken for granted.

At a solemn ceremony in a church standing on the former "death strip" that divided East and West, Merkel said the Berlin Wall reminds "us that we have to do our part for freedom and democracy".

PETRIVSKE, Ukraine (Reuters) - Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed rebels began withdrawing from a village in the disputed Donbass region on Saturday, one of a series of measures that could pave the way for a summit between Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany.

Fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed fighters in the eastern region has killed more than 13,000 since 2014, with both sides accusing each other of violating a ceasefire that was agreed in the Belarus capital Minsk in 2015.

WARSAW, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced the new structure of the government on Friday night, following the victory of governing Law and Justice (PiS) in parliamentary elections on Oct. 13.

"I am convinced this will be a very effective, very good team," Morawiecki said upon announcing the new government at a press conference.

"We want to continue with all our promises, our program. In the spirit of trustworthiness, we will accomplish what we have said we would do," he added.

LONDON, Nov 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — All 39 bodies found in a refrigerated truck outside London last month have now been identified as citizens of Vietnam, British police and Vietnamese officials said.

The Vietnamese embassy in London said it was “in deep sorrow” over the confirmation that the 31 men and eight women discovered dead in the back of a truck on Oct 23 were from the southeast Asian country.

“Once again, we would like to convey our profound condolences and sympathy to the bereaved families,” it said in a statement.

8 Nov 2019; MEMO: The mini-constitution drafting committee of Syria yesterday concluded the first round of talks at the UN headquarters in Geneva.

The delegations representing the Syrian opposition, the regime and civil society organisations left without speaking to the media, however they are expected to make a statement and announce the results of the talks today.

8 Nov 2019; MEMO: The European Commission yesterday pledged €79 million ($87.4 million) in aid to support Yemen, where the five-year-old conflict has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

The package will help Yemeni communities sustain public services, such as health care and education, and will also stimulate the private sector, aiming to develop livelihood opportunities in a country where the economy has halted, reported New Europe.

MOSCOW, November 8. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin determines the way of Russia’s development on his own, because this right was delegated to him by the country’s people who voted for him in the election, but the analytical approach made by French President Emmanuel Macron in describing likely scenarios of Russia’s development looks impressive to the Kremlin, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Friday.