Europe

MOSCOW, September 17. /TASS/: Crew members of a North Korean vessel have attacked Russian border guards in the Sea of Japan, wounding three servicemen, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) told TASS on Tuesday.

"The crew of a North Korean vessel [with over 45 people onboard] carried out an armed attack on the members of a monitoring group of the border guards’ ship. Three servicemen received various injuries," the FSB said.

The FSB’s border guards in the Primorye Region have been taking decisive measures on curbing illegal activity, it said.

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday they needed to work with international partners to form a collective response to Saturday’s attacks on Saudi oil plants, his spokesman said.

The two leaders also agreed there was a need to de-escalate tensions in the region and were committed to a common approach on Iran, which has been blamed by U.S. President Donald Trump for the attack on Saudi oil facilities.

MADRID (Reuters) - The leader of Spain’s main opposition People’s Party, Pablo Casado, told Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez in a telephone conversation on Tuesday his party would oppose Sanchez’s bid to become prime minister, a Socialist party source said.

“The PP leader has informed of his rejection of the investiture of the Socialist candidate, meaning he refuses to support a stable government in Spain and to avoid a repeat election,” the source said.

The People’s Party said only that the two had a cordial conversation an that its leader would speak about it later.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s top court met on Tuesday to consider whether a decision by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to suspend parliament until shortly before the date for Brexit was illegal.

Scottish judges ruled last week the suspension was unlawful and supporters of the legal challenge in the Supreme Court want parliament recalled immediately if it rules against Johnson’s decision. Critics say he should quit if judges rule against him.

LAMPEDUSA (Italy), Sept 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Eighty-two migrants have disembarked on the southern Italian island of Lampedusa after six days at sea.

Italy says it is allowing the ship, the Ocean Viking, to offload the migrants as most of those on board will be relocated to other EU countries.

The move signals a change of approach to migration from the new coalition which took office on Sept 10.

Ex-Interior Minister Matteo Salvini routinely blocked access to charity-run migrant vessels.

MADRID, Sept 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Spain’s High Court ruled that the government should refuse a request from the United States to extradite Venezuela’s former military intelligence chief.

Former general Hugo Carvajal was arrested on drug trafficking charges by Spanish police in April at the request of Washington, which says it believes he will share incriminating information about Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

VIENNA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) 63rd General Conference opened here on Monday amid heightened tensions over the Iran nuclear deal.

Many of the IAEA's 171 member states are represented at the meeting from Monday to Friday. The application of the IAEA's safeguards in the Middle East and in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as well as issues related to radiation safety and ways of strengthening the agency's technical cooperation activities are on the agenda.

BRUSSELS, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker held their first meeting Monday in Luxembourg on Brexit without breakthrough.

Focusing on the Irish backstop, a protocol aiming to prevent a hard border, the two leaders from different sides of the English Channel found they are not on the same page.

MOSCOW, September 16. /TASS/: The declining production in Saudi Arabia, caused by attacks on Saudi Aramco’s facilities, would not lead to a force majeure on the oil market. OPEC is monitoring the situation together with the International Energy Agency (IEA), a senior OPEC official told TASS.

"Saudi Arabia and Saudi Aramco in particular are on top of the situation. So far, they have handled the disruption admirably. There is no force majeure," the source said.

MOSCOW, September 16. /TASS/: Russian athlete Yulia Zykova has come in first in the 50m rifle prone event held within the ISSF (International Shooting Sport Federation) European Shooting Championships. The championships takes place in Bologna, Italy.

The 23-year-old Russian athlete came in first in the 50m rifle prone event, scoring 627.8 points. Germany’s Eva Rosken came in second (624.9 points), followed by Hungary’s Gitta Bajos (624.4 points).