Europe

Russia’s facial recognition technology to be tested for 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar

MOSCOW, September 3. /TASS/: NtechLab company is negotiating the use of Russia's facial recognition technology with FIFA and Qatar that will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and plans to participate in the pilot project, Chief Executive Officer Alexander Minin told TASS.

"We are holding talks with FIFA and Qatar and will participate in the pilot project", he said.

Normandy Four leaders’ aides fail to agree on summit’s date, expert says

MOSCOW, September 3. /TASS/: Aides of the Normandy Four leaders failed to agree on the summit’s date at their meeting in Berlin on Monday, but made a significant progress in their discussion, Director of the Russian Center for Current Politics Alexei Chesnakov told reporters on Tuesday.

"As far as I know, yesterday the aides of the Normandy Four leaders did not agree on a particular date of the summit," Chesnakov said. "They discussed the terms on which the summit may take place."

North Korean missile launches linked to US, South Korea drills — senior Russian diplomat

VLADIVOSTOK, September 3. /TASS/: The North Korean series of missile launches in August are clearly linked to the military exercises staged by the US and South Korea in the south of the Korean Peninsula, this situation requires everyone to dial down military activity, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

Covertness of Russian standards complicates work with European space firms, says Airbus

MOSCOW, September 3. /TASS/: The covertness of a number of Russian All-Union State Standards makes the joint work of Russian and European companies involved in the joint space production difficult, head of Airbus Defense and Space in Russia Vladimir Terekhov said on Tuesday.

"The fact that Russian All-Union State Standards are often classified creates additional difficulties," he said.

British PM’s statement on World War II unacceptable, says Russian embassy

LONDON, September 3. /TASS/: Russia’s Embassy in London has referred to the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s words regarding the beginning of the World War II as unacceptable. PM said in a video message posted on Twitter late last week that in September 1939 Poland found itself "trapped between the hammer of fascism and the anvil of communism."

Britain's Hammond: We have the numbers to defeat Johnson on Brexit

LONDON (Reuters) - An alliance of opposition parties and rebel Conservative lawmakers should have the numbers to defeat Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government on Brexit on Tuesday, former British finance minister Philip Hammond said.

“I think we will have the numbers,” he told BBC Radio. “I think there will be enough people to get this over the line.”

Italian parties agree agenda to form new government; 5-Star votes on deal

ROME (Reuters) - Italy’s anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and center-left Democratic Party (PD) unveiled a shared policy program on Tuesday for their mooted coalition, putting an expansionary 2020 budget at the top of their agenda.

5-Star, created a decade ago out of out of opposition to the PD, has agreed to form a new administration with its former foes to head off a snap election after its previous coalition with the far-right League collapsed last month.

Hungary charges Syrian man with terrorism, crime against humanity

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungarian prosecutors said on Tuesday they had charged a 27-year-old Syrian man with terrorism and crime against humanity committed as a member of Islamic State in 2015.

The man, identified only as F. Hassan, was charged with executing several people in 2015 in the Homs region of Syria who refused to join Islamic State, the prosecutors said.

The prosecutors are seeking a life sentence. His lawyer was not immediately reachable by phone.

Ukraine parliament votes to strip lawmakers of immunity from prosecution

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian lawmakers voted to strip themselves of immunity from prosecution on Tuesday, moving to help push through a signature election promise by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to root out corruption in politics.

Previously, lawmakers could only be stripped of immunity by a parliamentary vote on each individual case. Critics have said removing lawmakers’ protection leaves them vulnerable to targeted prosecutions by those in power.

UK's Corbyn wants Oct. 14 election but with Brexit delay: Sun's Newton Dunn

LONDON (Reuters) - The leader of the opposition Labour Party wants his lawmakers to vote for an Oct. 14 election but with a “mechanism” attached to force an extension to Britain’s Brexit date from Halloween, The Sun’s political editor said on Tuesday.

The Labour Party is working with rebel Conservatives and other opposition parties to try to force Prime Minister Boris Johnson to ask Brussels for a three-month Brexit delay. A government source has said Johnson will seek an election if they defeat the government.

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