Europe

MOSCOW, September 5. /TASS/: Russia is fighting not against the Ukrainian people but against the Banderite monsters and their ilk as it pushes ahead with the special military operation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of Russia’s Victory organizing committee.

LONDON, September 5. /TASS/: The destruction of the UK-made Challenger 2 tank near Rabotino in the Zaporozhye area is the first such incident in the last 30 years these tanks have been used in battle, The Guardian reported citing military experts.

The Guardian points out that only one such tank, which entered combat in 1994, was hit in 2003 in Iraq, but that tank was destroyed in a friendly fire incident, not an enemy attack. Meanwhile, the report points out that such statistics can be explained by the small number of tanks produced and their infrequent deployment.

TBILISI, September 5. /TASS/: Georgian MPs did not support the first reading of the legislative initiative put forward by opposition MP Teona Akubardia to move Victory over Fascism Day in the republic from May 9 to May 8.

The meeting was broadcast on the legislature's website.

According to the voting results, 20 deputies voted for the amendments to the Labor Code and 4 voted against. 76 votes were required in order to pass the bill.

MOSCOW, September 6. /TASS/: Ukrainian troops attempted to attack facilities in Russia with a fixed-wing drone, but it was shot down by Russian air defenses above the western Russian Bryansk Region, the Russian Defense Ministry told reporters on Wednesday.

"At around 11:40 p.m. Moscow time on September 5, the Kiev regime’s attempt to carry out a terrorist attack by a fixed-wing UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] against facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation was foiled," the ministry said.

MOSCOW, September 5. /TASS/: Around 5,200 COVID-19 cases were registered in Russia over the past week, the press service of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing has told reporters.

"Over the past week, some 5,200 COVID-19 cases were registered," the press service said.

The federal service added that the omicron variant of the novel coronavirus remained prevalent in Russia.

TIRANA, Sept 5 (NNN-XINHUA) – Albanian Prime Minister and leader of the ruling Socialist Party, Edi Rama, announced yesterday, the reshuffle of his cabinet, during a national assembly of his party, replacing six ministers.

The changes affect six ministries, with the Ministry for Standards and Services merged, and the Ministry of Local Government added to the cabinet.

These steps are aimed at accelerating reforms, Rama said.

The changes will be presented to Albanian President, Bajram Begaj today, to be decreed.

VENICE, Italy, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Venice plans to experiment with an admission fee of 5 euros($5.35) for day trippers next year to try to manage the flow of tourists drawn to its historic canals, the city council said on Tuesday.

The fee will be applied on a trial basis on 30 days next year, focusing mainly on spring bank holidays and summer weekends when tourism numbers are at their peak. All visitors over the age of 14 will have to pay it.

ATHENS, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Torrential rains have flooded homes, businesses and roads in Greece and a man died after a wall collapsed in the bad weather, the fire brigade said on Tuesday.

Storm Daniel has battered western and central Greece since Monday, prompting hundreds of calls to emergency services to pump out water just days after a deadly wildfire that has burned for more than two weeks was brought under control in the north of the country.

MUNICH, Germany, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday welcomed the international auto manufacturers at the country's largest automobile show, IAA Mobility, stressing that "fair competition is good for business."

It is "nice to have so many international manufacturers and suppliers here in Munich, welcome," Scholz said in his speech.

The 2023 International Motor Show (IAA), one of the world's largest mobility trade fairs, opened in the southern German city of Munich on Tuesday, with German and Chinese exhibitors in the limelight.

GENEVA (AP) — Backers of an international agreement that bans cluster munitions are striving to prevent erosion in support for the deal after what one leading human rights group calls an “unconscionable” U.S. decision to ship such weapons to Ukraine for its fight against Russia.