Europe

LONDON, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Another 55 COVID-19 patients have died in Britain as of Sunday afternoon, bringing the total coronavirus-related death toll in the country to 40,597, the British Department of Health and Social Care said Monday.

The figures include deaths in all settings, including hospitals, care homes and the wider community.

The daily rise in the number of coronavirus deaths was the lowest since before the lockdown on March 23. No new deaths were announced in both Scotland and Northern Ireland for the second consecutive day.

LONDON (AP) — U.S. prosecutors and attorneys for Britain’s Prince Andrew sniped at one another across the Atlantic on Monday, each saying the other side was to blame for the duke’s failure to participate in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking probe.

Andrew’s lawyers said in a statement that he has offered three times this year to speak with U.S. investigators after being assured that he “is not and has never been a ‘target’ of their criminal investigations into Epstein.”

MOSCOW, June 8. /TASS/: There is no exact date of resuming flights between Russia and other countries, but the issue is on the agenda, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.

"This issue [on resuming flights] is on the agenda. There are no exact dates yet," Peskov noted, adding that it was up to the government to decide on this matter.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin earlier ordered to draw up proposals on a possible date of resuming flights. "The major driving force here is the government’s crisis center led by the head of government."

TASS, June 8: Russian DJ Denis Kaznacheev arrested in Berlin for cyber fraud on the request of the United States seeking his extradition is accused of money laundering more than $1 million in the Darknet between 2010 and 2020, a source close to the case materials told TASS.

"According to the US law enforcement, Russian citizen Kaznacheev, using the Darknet and being a member of the Russian cyber mafia, laundered more than $1 million with his accomplices between 2010 and 2020," the source noted.

MOSCOW, June 8. /TASS/: The Kremlin sees support for constitutional amendments from most Russians as follows from the latest opinion polls, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Monday.

"The situation unequivocally indicates the prevailing support for the package of amendments to the Constitution. Practically all opinion polls point in this direction," Peskov said. "Russia’s biggest political forces that enjoy the greatest support of the population are for the amendments, too."

MOSCOW, June 8. /TASS/: Moscow’s authorities have decided to rescind self-isolation rules, travel permits and walking schedules starting on June 9, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on his blog on Monday.

"Self-isolation rules and travel permits will be waived tomorrow, on June 9, 2020. There will also be no more walking schedules," he said.

All Moscow residents, including those over the age of 65 and people with chronic illnesses, will be able to freely travel around the city and visit public places.

8 June 2020; AFP: Workers at Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris on Monday began the delicate task of removing tons of metal scaffolding that melted together during the fire that destroyed the monument's roof and spire last year, one of the riskiest operations in the rebuilding effort so far.

Around 40,000 tubes were fused into a tangled mass in the intense heat of the blaze, and must be removed without further damaging the limestone walls supporting the gothic vault.

8 June 2020; AFP: European countries experimented with further lifting coronavirus restrictions Monday as New Zealand declared victory over the pandemic, even as global cases topped seven million and deaths mounted in Latin America.

The number of COVID-19 fatalities has now passed 403,000 worldwide since the disease emerged in China last year before sweeping the globe, subjecting billions to some form of lockdown and paralysing economies.

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson would not agree that Britain is a racist country but acknowledges there is still more to do to combat cases of discrimination and racism, his spokesman said on Monday.

“The PM doesn’t doubt that there continues to be discrimination and racism but would not agree that this is a racist country. We have made very significant progress on this issue but there remains more to do,” the spokesman told reporters.

“The PM is absolutely committed to continuing efforts to stamp out racism and discrimination.”

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil slipped on Monday after Saudi Arabia said an extension of output cuts by OPEC+ nations would not include extra voluntary cuts by a trio of Gulf producers.

Brent crude LCOc1 was down 14 cents, or 0.3%, at $42.16 per barrel, by 1210 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 fell 41 cents, or 1%, to $39.14 a barrel.