Europe

GENEVA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday that he will reconvene the Emergency Committee on Thursday to re-evaluate the COVID-19 pandemic, as global COVID-19 cases had doubled over the past six weeks.

Saying that this Thursday (July 30) marks six months since Jan. 30 when WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, Tedros told a virtual press conference that almost 16 million cases have now been reported to WHO, with more than 640,000 deaths worldwide.

BRUSSELS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) on Monday expressed its concerns over the additional obstacles facing migrants and asylum seekers when they are trying to enter the EU and the increase in allegations of pushbacks at borders.

Among the restrictions which migrants and asylum seekers were worried about is the requirement by some EU member states for all foreign arrivals to self-quarantine or provide a negative COVID-19 test, which "many people seeking safety in the EU cannot fulfil."

MOSCOW, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke in favor of resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan border tensions through peaceful means during a phone conversation Monday.

During the call at the initiative of the Turkish side, Putin stressed the importance of preventing any steps that could cause an escalation in the tensions, the Kremlin said in a press release.

Putin and Erdogan expressed their interest in coordinating efforts to achieve stabilization in the region, according to the Kremlin.

27 July 2020; MEMO: British intelligence agencies have been involved in training senior spies from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE, an investigation by Declassified UK has found.

MOSCOW, July 27. /TASS/: Forest fires in Russia more than doubled in size in the past week, a forestry official told TASS on Monday.

"Forest fires more than doubled in size in one week. Siberia and the Far East are facing the most difficult situation," he pointed out.

BERLIN, July 27. /TASS/: Putting pressure on the Nord Stream 2 project, Washington ignores the interests of its allies in Europe, head of the Bundestag (German parliament) Economy and Energy Committee Klaus Ernst told TASS.

"The dispute around Nord Stream 2 demonstrates that representatives of the American politics are trying to use political means to promote their own interests without reference to allies," he said.

STOCKHOLM, July 27. /TASS/: The Danish Energy Agency (DEA) has denied reports by German media that the pipe-laying for the Nord Stream 2 project was temporarily impossible because of cod spawning, Ture Falbe-Hansen, head of media relations at DEA, told TASS.

MOSCOW, July 27. /TASS/: Russian Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East will prepare proposals on cuts of taxes and insurance fees for investors that implement project on the Kuril Islands, Ministry press service told TASS

MOSCOW, July 27. /TASS/: Russia’s coronavirus cases rose by 5,635 COVID-19 in the past day, reaching 818,120, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters on Monday.

According to the crisis center, the daily growth rate in the past six days did not exceed 0.7%.

SINGAPORE/LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices edged lower on Monday as rising coronavirus cases and tensions between the United States and China pushed investors towards safe-haven assets.

Brent crude LCOc1 dipped 20 cents, or 0.5%, to $43.14 a barrel by 1000 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 dropped to $41.15 a barrel, down 14 cents, or 0.4%.