Europe

LONDON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - The British arm of defence firm MBDA has signed a 4 billion pound ($4.92 billion) deal to supply Poland with ground-based air defence systems, the British government said on Tuesday.

Britain's Ministry of Defence said the partnership would boost Poland's Narew air defence programme and help bolster European security amid the conflict in Ukraine.

Nov 7 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called on Ukrainians to remain united, days after a rift emerged between his office and the country's commander-in-chief as the war with Russia grinds on.

The Ukrainian leader, who also said it was not the right time for wartime elections in a speech late on Monday, entreated Ukrainians to strengthen the country and not to be drawn into dangerous infighting that could imperil the war effort.

BARCELONA, Nov 7 (Reuters) - The Barcelona port stevedores' union has refused to load and unload any military material amid the war in Gaza and urged the protection of civilian populations in areas of conflict, following a similar move by Belgian transport unions last week.

The decision on Monday is mostly symbolic and seeks to encourage other Spanish ports to follow suit, the secretary of the OEPB union, Josep Maria Deop, told Reuters on Tuesday.

The OEPB is the only union representing the 1,200 stevedores at Barcelona's port.

MOSCOW, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Russia's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that a remark by an Israeli junior minister who appeared to express openness to the idea of Israel carrying out a nuclear strike on Gaza had raised a huge number of questions.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday suspended Heritage Minister Amihay Eliyahu, from a far-right party in the coalition government, from cabinet meetings "until further notice".

Asked in a radio interview about a hypothetical nuclear option, Eliyahu had replied: "That's one way."

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Conservative government set out a pre-election policy slate including tougher sentences for serious crimes and promises of elusive economic growth on Tuesday in a speech delivered by King Charles III at the grand State Opening of Parliament.

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO member countries that signed a key Cold War-era security treaty froze their participation in the pact on Tuesday just hours after Russia pulled out, raising fresh questions about the future of arms control agreements in Europe.

Many of NATO’s 31 allies are parties to the Treaty of Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, which was aimed at preventing Cold War rivals from massing forces at or near their mutual borders. The CFE was signed in November 1990 as the Soviet bloc was crumbling but was not fully ratified until two years later.

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa resigned Tuesday after his government was involved in a widespread corruption probe, sending a shock wave through the normally tranquil politics of the European Union member.

The 62-year-old Costa, Portugal’s Socialist leader since 2015, asserted his innocence but said in a nationally televised address that “in these circumstances, obviously, I have presented my resignation to the president of the republic.”

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A top aide to the commander of Ukraine’s military was killed by a grenade given to him as a birthday gift and not in a targeted attack, the interior minister said.

Maj. Hennadii Chastiakov died in the tragic accident Monday that badly injured his 13-year-old son, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram.

A colleague presented six new grenades as a gift to Chastiakov, who was a top aide and close friend to Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, for his 39th birthday, Klymenko said.

MELITOPOL, November 6. /TASS/: Russia’s tactics of maneuver defense made it possible to stop the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Zaporozhye Region, Governor Yevgeny Balitsky told reporters at a press conference.

MOSCOW, November 6. /TASS/: The Anglo-Saxon forces are pushing the Middle East towards a big war, which is leading to a surge in terrorism and millions-strong refugee flows, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"We can see the Anglo-Saxons literally pushing the Middle East to the brink of a big war," he pointed out, addressing the Znanie (Knowledge) marathon at the International RUSSIA EXPO.