Europe

MOSCOW, August 13. /TASS/. Russian oil producers will boost crude production next year largely owing to the start of several greenfield projects, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said in its report on Monday.

"In 2019, Russian oil companies have the potential to increase production through green field development. Incremental production of oil, NGLs and condensate could come from several projects, such as Uvat, East-Siberian, Vankorneft, Messoyakha and Yamal LNG," OPEC said.

LONDON, August 14. /TASS/. The British government is not ready to join the international community’s efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to Syria, the Russian embassy in London said in a statement.

MINSK, August 14. /TASS/. A meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Defense Ministers’ Council Coordination Committee will discuss the development of the joint air defense system, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"The 49th meeting of the CIS Defense Ministers’ Council Air Defense Coordination Committee, scheduled to be held in Minsk on August 14, will particularly discuss ways for the development and improvement of the CIS joint air defense system," the statement reads.

13 Aug 2018; AFP: Germany's economy minister on Sunday lashed out at US President Donald Trump, slamming his global trade rows and efforts to "dictate" Europe's dealings with Iran through renewed US sanctions.

In an interview with German weekly Bild am Sonntag, Peter Altmaier warned of the damaging consequences of a full-blown US-China trade war, and expressed concern about Trump's decision to slap hefty metals tariffs on Turkey in an escalating diplomatic row.

MAGADAN, August 12. /TASS/. The US dollar is becoming a precarious settlement instrument in international trade, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Anton Siluanov said on Sunday.

MOSCOW, August 12. /TASS/. Russia is ready to ease visa requirements for some categories of Turkish citizens, the Russian foreign ministry said on Sunday ahead of Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to Ankara on August 13-14.

"It is planned to discuss aspects of easing visa requirements for the two countries’ nationals. We confirm our readiness for visa liberalization for certain categories of Turkish citizens," the ministry said.

AKTAU /Kazakhstan/, August 12. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has highly estimated the results of the fifth Caspian summit that ended with the signing of the convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea.

"Naturally, this even will go down in history as the one that took place in Kazakhstan. It is a great event we have been heading to for two decades, have been trying to find a solution. And now it is found. Naturally, it will encourage closer cooperation in the Caspian region," Putin said at a meeting with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Sunday.

GLASGOW /the United Kingdom/, August 12. /TASS/. Russia’s national team tops the overall medals standings of the 2018 European Championships, with 66 medals.

Russia has won 31 gold, 19 silver and 16 bronze medals to be awarded the European Championships Trophy, a 650mm tall and 400mm wide cup on a 22-carat gold footing.

Second is Britain’s team, with 71 medals, of which 24 are gold, 25 are silver, and 22 are bronze.

MOSCOW, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan signed an agreement Sunday for collective use of the Caspian sea after two decades of negotiations, the Kremlin said.

The presidents of the five states inked the landmark convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea at the Fifth Caspian Summit in the Kazakh city of Aktau.

BERLIN, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Germany's adolescent population aged between 14 and 17 stood around 3.2 million at the end of 2016, a drop of nearly 470,000 within 10 years, data by the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) show.

The proportion of the 14-17 year olds in the total population decreased from 4.4 percent in 2006 to 3.8 percent by the end of 2016, according to the Destatis.

Within 10 years, the share of young people without a secondary school graduation certificate had declined significantly from 8 percent in 2006 to 6 percent in 2016, the Destatis said.