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Added on the 16/01/2020 12:47:29 - Copyright : AFPTV - First images
New elected Russian State Duma holds first plenary session, three weeks after Putin's deeply unpopular ruling United Russia party won a sweeping majority in the lower house of parliament. Official results gave United Russia 49.8 percent of the vote, down from 54.2 percent in the last parliamentary election in 2016. IMAGES
In the courtyard of the Hôtel Matignon, the Republican Guard welcomes Michel Barnier, where the resigning Prime Minister Gabriel Attal awaits him for the handover of power. IMAGES
Belgian prosecutors have opened a probe into Russian "interference" in the European Parliament following allegations lawmakers were paid to spread Kremlin propaganda, Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo says. "Our judicial authorities have now confirmed this interference is subject to prosecution," De Croo said. "The cash payments did not take place in Belgium, but the interference does. As Belgium is the seat of the EU institutions, we have a responsibility to uphold every citizen's right to a free and safe vote." SOUNDBITE
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrives at Northern Ireland's Assembly in Belfast on the second day of his two-day visit to the UK territory, which comes after Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill made history by becoming its first nationalist leader. O'Neill, a pro-Irish unity politician, has predicted that Northern Ireland will hold a vote on unification with Ireland within the next decade. However, Sunak's government said earlier this week that Northern Ireland's place within the UK appears "secure for decades". IMAGES
Thailand's parliament opens to vote for a prime minister, with frontrunner Pita Limjaroenrat saying he was confident despite a barrage of last-minute hurdles that could undo his bid for the premiership. IMAGES