Europe

MOSCOW, May 25. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a draft of a new CIS treaty on combating legalization of criminal incomes, financing terrorism and sponsoring proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, as follows from a document posted on the official website of legal information on Monday.

MOSCOW, May 25. /TASS/: Attempts to privatize the Moon run counter to international law, CEO of Russia's Roscosmos State Space Agency Dmitry Rogozin said in an interview with the Komsomolskaya Pravda radio station on Monday.

"We will not, in any case, accept any attempts to privatize the Moon. It is illegal, it runs counter to international law," Rogozin pointed out.

MOSCOW, May 25. /TASS/: The Russian government will start gradually lifting restrictions on domestic tourism from June 1, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko said on Monday.

"The safe and controlled launch of domestic tourism in the first half of summer is, of course, a priority for us. From June 1, the Russian government will start easing restrictions systemically and accurately," the vice-premier said at a government meeting on the prospects of reopening the tourism industry.

Podgorica (Montenegro), May 25 (AP/PTI) Montenegro's health minister has urged citizens to help keep the small Balkan country "corona-free" in the future after authorities said there are no more cases of infection at the moment.

Minister Kenan Hrapovic on Monday described the current situation in the country as a joint success of the health authorities and the citizen of Montenegro.

The Public Health Institute said Sunday that all of the 140 tests in the past 24 hours were negative and that there are no people currently reported sick with the virus.

LONDON (Reuters) - Dominic Cummings, a close adviser to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who is facing calls for his resignation over a trip that many believe broke coronavirus lockdown rules, will make a public statement on Monday, Sky News and ITV reported.

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel told senior members of her party that the German government would not allow the European Commission to deprive Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) of valuable take-off and landing slots at Frankfurt and Munich airports, Handelsblatt reported.

“We won’t allow that to happen,” Merkel said according to participants in the meeting, the business daily reported. Merkel was also quoted as saying there would be a “tough fight”.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain’s refusal to seal climate commitments in a new deal with the European Union to govern their relations after Brexit has become a stumbling block in their deadlocked talks and raises the risk of future trade disputes.

While Britain has joined the global Paris agreement to fight climate change and has its own ambitious emissions-cutting goals, London has refused to make binding commitments in the area in the new deal it is seeking with the EU from 2021.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian prosecutors asked a court on Monday to sentence former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who is on trial accused of spying for the United States, to 18 years in a maximum security prison, his lawyer said.

Whelan, a U.S. national who also holds British, Canadian and Irish passports, was detained in December 2018. He says he was set up in a sting and has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

His trial, which began on March 23, has been closed to the public as its content broaches classified information.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - European countries need to join forces to shield their banks from the coronavirus outbreak, one of the bloc’s top regulators said on Monday, potentially using a 500 billion euro ($545 billion) EU recovery fund to do so.

The remarks from Jose Manuel Campa, who leads the European Banking Authority (EBA), will rekindle a divisive debate about whether rich countries such as Germany should support banks of poorer neighbours such as Italy.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices, which have been driven higher for the past four weeks, were steady on Monday, with holidays in Singapore, London and New York dampening trade, as rising concerns over demand recovery offset supply cuts.

Brent was flat at $35.13 a barrel by 1315 GMT, while U.S. oil gained 10 cents, or 0.3% to $33.35 a barrel. Both are down around 45% so far this year.