Europe

08 May 2023; AA: Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria said its authorities are asking Russia to increase the number of peacekeepers in the region.

“Peacekeepers are the main security factor on the (banks of the) Dniester," and they pose "the main obstacle" against Ukraine and Moldova, head of the breakaway region’s representative office in Moscow Leonid Manakov told Russia’s RIA news agency in an interview.

07 May 2023; MEMO: The Cambridge Union is facing accusations of undermining free speech after it changed the title of a debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

BRATISLAVA, May 7. /TASS/: Ludovit Odor will be appointed as Slovakia’s new prime minister, Slovak President Zuzana Caputova said at an emergency briefing on Sunday.

"Deputy Head of the National Bank of Slovakia Ludovit Odor will be designated as a new prime minister," she said.

Earlier on Sunday, interim Prime Minister Eduard Heger announced his intention to resign. According to legislation, his entire cabinet will resign as well.

MOSCOW, May 7. /TASS/: The Russian military suppressed and destroyed 22 Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea last night, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov said on Sunday.

"Air defenses detected 22 Ukrainian attack unmanned aerial vehicles over the Black Sea last night. All the drones were suppressed by electronic warfare and destroyed by missile systems," he said.

BERLIN, May 7. /TASS/: Berlin’s administrative court has partially lifted a ban by the city police to display Russian flags and symbols during the May 9 rally, the RBB radio station reported on Sunday citing a source in law enforcement.

The court allowed to display Russian flags and symbols during an Immortal Regiment event. The police have already appealed this decision.

On Friday, the Berlin police announced a ban on using Russian and Ukrainian flags near Soviet memorials on May 8 and 9. The ban does not affect diplomats and World War Two veterans.

MOSCOW, May 7. /TASS/: The Kiev regime has confirmed that the administration of US President Joe Biden is a sponsor of terrorism, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel on Sunday.

MOSCOW, May 7. /TASS/: A state of emergency due to wildfires was introduced across the entire Kurgan Region beginning on May 7, the Telegram channel of the regional government reported on Sunday.

"Beginning on May 7, a state of emergency was declared in the entire Kurgan Region. The relevant decree was signed by the governor," its statement said.

May 7 (Reuters) - Slovak President Zuzana Caputova picked central bank Deputy Governor Ludovit Odor to lead a technocrat government after caretaker Prime Minister Eduard Heger quit on Sunday just months before early elections in September.

Slovakia, a European Union and NATO member, has struggled through months of political uncertainty as Heger's ruling coalition was weakened, coming amid a period of high inflation and war in neighbouring Ukraine.

May 7 (Reuters) - Russia stages its annual Victory Day parade on Red Square on Tuesday amid particularly tight security after a series of drone attacks, including on the Kremlin citadel, symbolic heart of the Russian state, that Moscow has blamed on Ukraine.

Victory Day is a key anniversary for President Vladimir Putin, who often evokes the spirit and sacrifice that helped the Soviet Union defeat Nazi Germany in 1945 to kindle Russians' sense of patriotism, especially since launching what he calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

LONDON, May 7 (Reuters) - Anti-monarchists on Sunday criticised the policing of the coronation of King Charles as heavy-handed, saying there was no longer a right to peaceful protest in Britain after dozens of protesters were arrested and detained into the night.

Police arrested Graham Smith, leader of the Republic group, and 51 others in central London as thousands of royal fans gathered in the capital for the event on Saturday, saying their duty to prevent disruption outweighed the right to protest.