Europe

(Reuters) --- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party won a new seat in parliament on Friday, ousting the Labour Party in the northern English town of Hartlepool with a sweeping victory that tightens his grip on traditional opposition-voting areas.

Conservative Jill Mortimer beat Labour's candidate by 15,529 votes to 8,589, a once unthinkable victory under a Conservative leader who has proved, so far, to be largely immune to accusations of cronyism and criticism over his handling of the COVID-19 crisis.

MADRID, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Some Western countries are determined to demonize China to better protect their status, but the "distraction" can be "fatal" if their structural problems continue to worsen, an expert on China has said.

Such structural problems include "the loss of democratic quality at the hands of oligarchies that despise the common good," said Xulio Rios, director of the Observatory of Chinese Politics in Spain, said in an article published in the observatory's website on May 4.

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — On the list of things not to do during a pandemic, holding big international gatherings is close to the top.

But European Union leaders and their large following of diplomats and advisers are meeting in Portugal on Friday for two days of talks, sending a signal that they see the threat from COVID-19 on their continent as waning, amid a quickening vaccine rollout.

YEREVAN, May 6. /TASS/: Any statements running counter to the agreements between the Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders on unblocking economic ties in Nagorno-Karabakh cannot be viewed as an alternative to the current agreement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday commenting on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s remark on creating the Zangezur corridor.

MOSCOW, May 6. /TASS/: The Sputnik Light vaccine increases the antibody level in people who already have immunity against the coronavirus infection, which suggests that the shot could be used for vaccinating former patients, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko told journalists Thursday.

MOSCOW, May 6. /TASS/: A one-component COVID-19 vaccine dubbed Sputnik Light has been registered in Russia, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) informs.

"The Russian Ministry of Health, the Gamaleya Research Center and RDIF announce the registration of the one-component vaccine Sputnik Light against the novel coronavirus infection. Sputnik Light is the first component of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine," the message says.

PRAGUE, May 6./TASS/: Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has spoken in favor of defusing tensions that are running high in relations between Moscow and Prague. His answers to the questions from parliamentarians of the lower house of parliament were broadcast by Czech TV channels on Thursday.

"I think we must calm down this tense atmosphere fuelled by emotions," Babis said.

PARIS, May 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — France’s National Assembly approved climate protection legislation that included input from a specially convened citizens’ panel but which activists argue does not go nearly far enough.

The bill, which was passed in the lower house by 332 to 77 votes, bans certain domestic short-haul flights if an alternative train exists whose travel time does not exceed two-and-a-half hours.

MOSCOW, May 6 (NNN-Xinhua) — A Russian MiG-31 fighter intercepted a US reconnaissance plane above the Chukchi Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

Russian radars detected an air target approaching Russian borders over the Chukchi Sea, and a MiG-31 of the Russian Pacific Fleet took off in response, the ministry said.

The crew of the Russian jet identified the air target as a US Air Force RC-135 strategic reconnaissance aircraft and then escorted it over the sea.

06 May 2021; MEMO: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said yesterday that Moscow supports defusing tension between Israel and the Palestinians in the occupied city of Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, Anadolu reported.