Europe

Lavrov expects Russian diplomacy to be dynamic, ready to tackle challenges

MOSCOW, September 13. /TASS/: Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expects Russia’s diplomacy to be dynamic, thoroughly professional and ready to tackle challenges within 20-30 years.

"Dynamic, thoroughly professional, ready to respond in kind to challenges," he said in an interview with Trud newspaper when asked a respective question.

Putin to take part in trilateral summit on Syria in Ankara on September 16

MOSCOW, September 13. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin will arrive in Ankara on Monday, September 16, to participate in a trilateral summit on Syria and hold bilateral meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a briefing on Friday.

Anti-ship missile Oniks to undergo upgrade

MOSCOW, September 13. /TASS/: The joint stock company NPO Mashinostroyeniya (an affiliate of the corporation Tactical Missile Corporation) plans to upgrade its supersonic anti-ship cruise missile Oniks.

"It is true that we have been asked to improve the Oniks missile’s flight parameters for increasing the effectiveness of this anti-ship complex," a spokesman for NPO Mashinostroyeniya told TASS without specifying what parameters were in question.

Ukraine’s Zelensky vows to fight for Crimea "not only with words"

KIEV, September 13. /TASS/: Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has said that Ukraine will be striving to bring Crimea back "not only with words."

"As for Crimea, I think it will be most difficult to reclaim Crimea. I have not had a Normandy Four meeting or held talks with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin yet. We will fight to bring Crimea back. And not only with words," he told the Yalta European Strategy forum in Kiev on Friday.

Russian security chief to visit Japan on September 16-17

MOSCOW, September 13. /TASS/: Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev will pay a visit to Tokyo on September 16-17 to hold Russian-Japanese security consultations, spokesperson for the Russian Security Council Yevgeny Anoshin told reporters.

"Nikolai Patrushev will pay a working visit to Tokyo on September 16-17 to hold Russian-Japanese consultations on security," he said.

Earlier on Friday, Japan’s NHK broadcaster announced that Patrushev could meet with new head of Japan's National Security Council Shigeru Kitamura in Tokyo on September 17.

UK parliament speaker vows to thwart PM over Brexit law

13 September 2019; AFP: Britain's parliamentary speaker has warned Prime Minister Boris Johnson not to disobey the law by refusing to ask for a Brexit delay and vowed to thwart any attempt to circumvent legislation.

Parliament passed a law earlier this month aimed at preventing a no-deal Brexit, but Johnson is adamant Britain will still leave the EU on schedule on October 31 with or without a withdrawal agreement.

Brexit frustrations make snap election a big gamble for Johnson

LINCOLN, England (Reuters) - James Bowkett is a long-time Conservative Party supporter who voted in 2016 for Britain to leave the European Union.

Three years later, the 58-year-old businessman is fed up waiting for Brexit to happen and is considering abandoning the Conservatives in a looming snap election.

“I am giving up on the Conservatives. There are too many people in that party who don’t want to listen to the public,” Bowkett, 58, said holding up an umbrella on a rainy day this week in Lincoln in eastern central England.

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