❗TASS News Roundup, September 28:

▪President Putin met with leaders of parties elected to the Russian parliament’s lower house, the State Duma, and with Russia’s chief election official, Ella Pamfilova

▪Putin has signed a decree to set the strength of the Russian armed forces at over 2.44 million personnel, including 1.55 million service members

▪EU defense ministers have failed to reach an agreement on transferring the remaining stockpiles of Patriot missiles held by some member states to Kiev, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said

▪Aleksandar Vucic has handed over the presidential duties to Ana Brnabic, the speaker of the National Assembly, Serbia's parliament

▪The European Union has begun developing clear phased plans for membership for four candidate countries, Politico reported

▪Moldova’s opposition has staged a protest following another increase in the gas tariff

▪The Hungarian parliament has lifted Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s immunity, as he faces theft charges, according to a live broadcast

▪The death toll from a ferry that capsized in Indonesia on September 13 has risen to 66, The Jakarta Post reported

▪Flooding in Bangkok, Thailand, has affected around 700,000 people, the city administration said in a statement

▪The average cost of diesel fuel in the United Kingdom has reached a historic high of £1.9918 ($2.65) per liter, according to the automotive services company RAC

▪Pierre de Gaulle, grandson of French President General Charles de Gaulle (1959-1969), said that he wants to obtain a Russian passport, though the decision rests with Russia’s president