Europe

BRUSSELS, May 6 (Xinhua) -- China and European Union (EU) relations have kept a sound momentum of development in the past 45 years. Under the new circumstances, the two sides are now facing shared new missions, and it is more important than ever to keep the China-EU ties in good shape, Zhang Ming, head of the Chinese Mission to the EU, has said.

Zhang made the remarks in an article published Wednesday by Brussels Times and Euroactiv on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of China-EU diplomatic ties.

MOSCOW, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Anna Popova, head of Russia's consumer rights and human well-being watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, proposed Wednesday to lift COVID-19 restrictions in three stages.

Popova unveiled her plan at an online conference with President Vladimir Putin and other officials on the implementation of measures to support the economy and social sphere.

At the first stage, people may be allowed to engage in outdoor sports and small businesses may be reopened, she said.

LONDON, May 6 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday was faced with tough questions in the House of Commons (lower house of parliament) as he is mulling a "comprehensive" plan to ease the COVID-19 lockdown.

On the second day after Britain overtook Italy as the worst-hit European country by the novel coronavirus, Johnson had his first head-to-head encounter with the newly elected main opposition leader -- Labour's Keir Starmer -- during the Prime Minister's Questions, which gives MPs the chance to question Johnson.

BRUSSELS, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission said in an economic forecast that despite a policy response at both the European Union (EU) and national level, the EU economy will experience a recession of historic proportions this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It projects that the euro area economy will contract by a record 7.75 percent in 2020 and grow by 6.25 percent in 2021. The EU economy is forecast to contract by 7.5 percent in 2020 and grow by around 6 percent in 2021.

6 May 2020; MEMO: As part of its global response to the coronavirus outbreak, the European Union (EU) has allocated €38 million ($41 million) to Palestine, reported the Wafa news agency.

6 May 2020; MEMO: A Finnish board member of Amnesty International has hit out at Germany’s decision to ban the political wing of Hezbollah by suggesting that the ideology of the Shia movement is no different to the racist views of political parties in Israel, including those in the current government.

UNITED NATIONS, May 6 (NNN-Xinhua) — The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, on Tuesday deplored the non-execution of arrest warrants for Libyan fugitives wanted by the court.

In her briefing to the Security Council, Bensouda called out Egypt and Gen. Khalifa Haftar, commander-in-chief of the east-based Libyan National Army (LNA), for their failure to surrender the fugitives.

The arrest warrants for Al-Tuhamy Mohamed Khaled and Mahmoud al-Werfalli are yet to be executed, said Bensouda.

LONDON, May 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UK’s death toll is now higher than Italy and second only to the U.S.

The UK now has the highest number of confirmed coronavirus-related deaths in Europe and the second-highest in the world.

Data released on Tuesday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), shows a total of 32,375 deaths involving COVID-19 have now been registered across the UK up to May 2, surpassing Italy’s total of 29,079.

Only the U.S. with 69,925 has reported more deaths linked with coronavirus.

BELGRADE, May 6. /TASS/: Russian military experts have done everything to save Serbia from the coronavirus pandemic, Commander of the Russian task force in Serbia Major General Mikhail Chernyshev said, responding to the gratitude expressed by Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin and Belgrade Deputy Mayor Goran Vesic.

MOSCOW, May 5. /TASS/: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Russian Armed Forces totals 1,475 people in the period from March to May 5, the Ministry of Defense said in its bulletin released on Tuesday. On Monday, the ministry reported about 1,384 cases among servicemen.

"As many as 1,475 servicemen with positive results were found during the 100% (coronavirus) screening in the Russian Armed Forces from March to May 4 of this year," the ministry said.