Europe

MOSCOW, March 12. /TASS/. Seoul plans to expand contacts in the sphere of cybersecurity at the international level, which includes Russia, South Korean Ambassador to Russia Woo Yoon-keun stated on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON, March 13. /TASS/. Berlin rejects the idea of imposing economic sanctions on Russia over its alleged violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, the German Government’s Commissioner for Disarmament and Arms Control Susanne Baumann said on Tuesday.

"I do not think that economic sanctions would lead to a change in behavior in this special case," she said, commenting on the possibility of slapping Russia with economic sanctions over its alleged non-compliance.

PARIS, March 12. /TASS/. The European Parliament considers necessary to curtail the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, according to the report on the state of EU-Russia political relations approved on Tuesday.

"Russia and the EU will remain key economic partners in the foreseeable future, but Nord Stream 2 reinforces EU dependency on Russian gas supplies, threatens the EU internal market and is not in line with EU energy policy, and therefore needs to be stopped," the report says.

GENEVA, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday said that it is appealing to the international community for 207 million U.S. dollars to continue its lifesaving assistance to Syrians.

IOM said that these funds are necessary to continue assistance in Syria and neighboring countries in 2019.

MOSCOW, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Russia is willing to reestablish parliamentary contacts with the United States in order to promote bilateral relations of the two countries, the Russian Federation Council, or upper house of parliament, said Tuesday.

Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko met with U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman and the two sides discussed bilateral relations of the two countries, the Federation Council said in a statement.

MOSCOW, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The United States is attempting to buy allies in Europe and elsewhere and to turn them against Russia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday.

"I don't know how much the countries, which are the recipients of this initiative, will like an attempt to be bought," Lavrov said at a press conference after talks with his Austrian counterpart Karin Kneissl.

BERLIN, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Following a warning letter by the U.S. ambassador in Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday that it "goes without saying" that the German government would define its own security standards in its 5G expansion.

Merkel added that security in the expansion of Germany's 5G mobile network was a "precious asset" for the German government, and security standards would be discussed with Germany's partners in Europe and the United States.

LONDON, March 12 (Xinhua) -- British business leaders called for taking the no-deal option off the table to minimize disruption to the economy, after the UK parliament voted down Prime Minister Theresa May's revised Brexit deal on Tuesday evening.

Members of Parliament (MPs) voted 391-242 against the revised deal reached between the British government and the European Union in last-ditch talks in Strasbourg, France on Monday. It was the second heavy defeat for the Brexit deal since it was rejected by a margin of 230 in January.

BRUSSELS, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Many European countries announced on Tuesday to ground Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft following an Ethiopian Airlines plane crash on Sunday.

The Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 bound for Nairobi, Kenya, crashed shortly after taking off from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people on board, drawing renewed scrutiny of the plane after an 2018 crash of the same model in Indonesia claimed 189 lives.

LONDON, March 12 (Xinhua) -- It was yet another loss on Tuesday night for British Prime Minister Theresa May, as her Brexit deal was firmly rejected by Parliament.

A result of 391 to 242 votes was a devastating blow to May and could potentially delay the United Kingdom (UK) leaving the European Union (EU), threaten May's hold on power or derail Brexit entirely.

The vote has left the nation with little idea of a way forward, just 17 days before the UK is due to leave the EU.