Europe

BRUSSELS, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) reached on Friday its first agreement to purchase a potential vaccine against COVID-19 once it is proven to be safe and effective, the European Commission said in a press release.

The deal, made with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, would secure the purchase of at least 300 million doses on behalf of the EU member states. The products could also be donated to lower and middle income countries or redirected to other European countries, said the press release.

BRUSSELS, August 14. /TASS/: The European Union should introduce sanctions against those who "violated democratic values" in Belarus, President of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen stated on Friday.

"We need additional sanctions against those who violated democratic values or abused human rights in Belarus," she wrote on her Twitter page.

MOSCOW, August 14. /TASS/: Russian radars tracked 46 foreign aircraft that conducted air reconnaissance near Russia’s state border in the past week, the Defense Ministry’s Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper reported on Friday.

The paper’s infographics show that 35 foreign spy planes and 11 drones conducted air reconnaissance along Russia’s state borders in the past week. All the flights by foreign spy aircraft were tracked by Russian radar stations. No violations of the Russian state border were allowed, the paper stressed.

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, August 14. /TASS/: Data on preclinical and clinical studies of a new Russian coronavirus vaccine will be made public in the coming days, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko told reporters.

"Data on preclinical and clinical studies will be published in the coming days, possibly by Monday," he said.

MINSK, August 14. /TASS/: Belarusian former presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who finished second in the race, has announced that she is initiating creation of a coordination council to ensure transfer of power in the country.

"I, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, am initiating creation of the Coordination Council for transfer of power. This council can be joined by civic society members, respected and famous Belarusians and true professionals of their trades," she said in a statement issued by her campaign staff.

LONDON, Aug 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain said it will reimpose quarantine for travellers from France and the Netherlands, prompting Paris to quickly announce a “reciprocal measure”.

The UK government declared the change, which will likely spark a mass exodus among the estimated half a million British holidaymakers currently in France, after a rise in coronavirus cases there.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil edged further below $45 a barrel on Friday, giving up some of this week’s gain, under pressure from doubts about demand recovery due to the COVID-19 pandemic and rising supply.

Two prominent forecasters, the International Energy Agency and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, trimmed their 2020 oil demand forecasts this week. [IEA/M] [OPEC/M] OPEC and its allies are increasing output this month.

VIENNA (Reuters) - The United States will do everything in its power to extend the international arms embargo on Iran under discussion at the United Nations, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday.

The U.N. Security Council has started voting on a U.S. bid to extend the embargo on Iran, which is opposed by veto-powers Russia and China, with results due on Friday.

Pompeo, on a visit to Austria, said Iran must also provide full and immediate cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency nuclear watchdog, whose head he was meeting in Vienna.

VIENNA (Reuters) - The agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates to normalize diplomatic ties has been welcomed by the United States, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday.

“It’s an important step forward for Middle East stability,” Pompeo told a press conference in Vienna. “It’s a good moment for the world and its security.”

GENEVA, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- A senior expert of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that although there are some cases suggesting that an individual may have been re-infected with COVID-19, it's still not confirmed.

Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead on COVID-19 response at the WHO Health Emergencies Program, told a virtual press conference that some people can have PCR (polymerase chain reaction) positivity for many weeks, not just days, and it doesn't necessarily mean that they are infectious for that long.