Новости за 20.01.2017

The press service of Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek accused Sputnik on Friday of distorting his claims regarding Ankara’s stance on Syrian President Bashar Assad, despite the fact that the news agency has a recording of his claims.

The European Parliament has rejected a blacklist of countries at high-risk of money laundering put forward by the Commission, as it contains no tax havens or even EU countries implicated in the wake of the LuxLeaks, Panama Papers or Bahamas Leaks scandals.

Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said that the protests of the opposition that took place in December 2016 in the lower house of the Polish Parliament and later in the streets was a staged performance that was supposed to lead to an upheaval.

On January 20, Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States.

Anti-Trump protesters calling themselves "Black Bloc" shattered windows of cafes, stores, and vandalized cars on the streets of Washington DC as the inauguration of Donald Trump is about to kick off.

At least 20 people were killed when the iconic Plasco building, a 17-story high-rise in the center of Iran's capital, collapsed due to a major fire.

Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the participation of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Munich conference is currently under discussion.

The Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman reiterated Moscow's readiness to normalize relations with Washington.

Four fighters of the Daesh terrorist group were killed by foreign drones in eastern Afghanistan, according to governor spokesman Attaullah Khogyani.

Outgoing US President Barack Obama was seen placing papers on his work desk in the White House before departing for events to inaugurate his successor - President-elect Donald Trump, according to a reporters’ pool report on Friday.

The kebab, often seen gripped tightly in a fist dripping garlic juice on the hand of a man traveling drunkenly home in the early hours of the morning, has been voted London's top dish.

A hard Brexit outlined by UK Prime Minister Theresa May may have a profound impact on UK-Irish economic relations, bilateral trade, and will divide Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland with a "hard border," Lord Alfred Dubs, a member of the EU External Affairs Sub-Committee in the UK House of Lords, told Sputnik.

There are certain preconditions for Iran and Saudi Arabia ending their longstanding rivalry and teaming up to settle regional crises in Syria, Yemen and Bahrain, political analyst Seyed Hadi Afghahi told Sputnik.

On January 20, Barack Obama will cease to be President of the United States.

Russian representatives in the Russian-Turkish commission on the Syrian ceasefire registered eight ceasefire violations in Syria, while the Turkish side has registered six violations, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Daesh terrorists have destroyed the world-known tetrapylon and parts of the Roman theater in the ancient city of Palmyra.

Kellyanne Conway, who managed Trump's campaign and will serve as his adviser, stated that Donald Trump was "making history," as the first president to have no prior political or military experience.

For decades, debate has been quietly ongoing in the European Union about the feasibility of a pan-European minimum wage, and now MEPs have endorsed a report that calls on the European Commission to introduce just that – although serious questions hover over whether such a policy could realistically be implemented.

Russian Ambassador to Spain Yuri Korchagin said that the trading volume between Russia and Spain, which was more than 13 billion euros (approximately $13.85 billion) in 2013, has reduced by half since the EU imposed sanctions against Russia.

Russia will upon request send experts to Syria to assist in repairs and overhaul of Syrian warships, according to the agreement posted on the Russian government's legal information portal Friday.

With President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration currently underway in Washington, Turkish experts speculate on how US-Turkish relations developed under the outgoing Obama Administration.

As the US President-Elect prepares himself to be sworn in later on Friday, the US media have already estimated that the nominees for his new administration don't resemble the usual image of high-profile US politicians: they're best categorized as "largely wealthy white men in their later years with little experience governing."

Earlier in the day, Moscow said it had signed an agreement with Damascus on the extension and overhaul of the Tartus naval facility.

The Bulgaria's Prosecutor’s Office accused Deputy Foreign Minister Hristo Angelichin of violation of his official duties in the period from November 17 to December 5, 2016 in connection with the purchase of the telephone equipment for 12 of the country’s foreign missions, according to official statement.

The Syrian army supported by allied militia units regained control over the key transport juncture northeast of the town of al Qaryatayn in the Homs province.