Europe

ROME, Apr 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, extended the country’s national COVID-19 lock-down to “at least” May 3.

“The national quarantine will be extended to at least May 3,” Conte said. “The decision is not an easy one, but it is what the situation required.”

The prime minister’s announcement came, about one month after the first decree went into force. Since then, Conte has periodically strengthened the terms of the lock-down and extended its length.

HELSINKI, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Tomi Lounema, CEO of the Finnish National Emergency Supply Agency (NESA), resigned on Friday after talks with Finnish Minister of Employment Tuula Haatainen who told a press conference that the credibility of the agency had been inadmissibly undermined.

The agency had not checked the backgrounds of two Finnish entrepreneurs it had accepted as intermediaries for purchase of protective gear from China.

ZAGREB, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Croatia could expect an average revenue drop of 35 to 40 percent due to COVID-19 outbreak, Finance Minister Zdravko Maric said on Friday.

Croatia has introduced two packages to help shore up the economy and save jobs. It has decided to write off tax obligations in the next three months and support people's salaries.

GENEVA/ROME, April 10 (Xinhua) -- As some of the European countries hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic are starting to see signs of slowing in infections, the World Health Organization (WHO) sounded a stern warning on Friday against lifting restrictions too soon, saying it could lead to a deadly resurgence of COVID-19.

"In the past week, we've seen a welcome slowing in some of the hardest-hit countries in Europe, like Spain, Italy, Germany and France," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a regular press briefing.

CHISINAU, April 10. /TASS/: Russia will provide Moldova with a military plane to deliver a large shipment of anti-coronavirus medical equipment, Moldova’s President Igor Dodon announced Friday.

"Next week, with support of our friends from China and the Russian Federation, which will provide us with a military plane, we will be able to deliver about 40 tonnes of medical supplies," the president said.

MOSCOW, April 10. /TASS/: Russia will be ready to host international sports tournaments, which have been put on hold due to the ongoing global spread of COVID-19, Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said on Friday.

MOSCOW, April 10. /TASS/: Russia plans to retain the position of the biggest global wheat exporter, press service of the Agriculture Ministry reported with reference to Minister Dmitry Patrushev on Friday.

"Russia will continue boosting food trade both with Saudi Arabia and other priority markets in the future, due to which we particularly plan to retain the position of the biggest global wheat exporter," the minister said.

MOSCOW, April 9. /TASS/: Work to fulfill this year’s defense procurement order continues in full strength and on schedule despite the novel coronavirus pandemic, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov told reporters on Thursday.

"As far as the work on the state procurement order is concerned, a total of 72.6% of assignments have been placed, which corresponds to the 2019 pace. The same applies to the volume of financing, transferred to general contractors of the state procurement order," he said.

MOSCOW, April 10. /TASS/: The number of coronavirus cases in Russia rose by 1,786 in the past 24 hours, reaching 11,917, the anti-coronavirus crisis center said in a statement on Friday, adding that coronavirus patients had been identified for the first time in the Tuva region.

"A total of 11,917 coronavirus cases have so far been recorded in 82 Russian regions (up by 17.6%). As many as 97 people were discharged from hospitals in the past 24 hours. Eighteen coronavirus patients died in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 94," the statement reads.

MOSCOW, April 10. /TASS/: Russia’s government has completed the transaction on purchase of 50% of Sberbank shares from the Bank of Russia using the funds of the National Wealth Fund, which totaled 2.139 trillion rubles ($29 bln), according to a joint statement released by the Finance Ministry and Central Bank on Friday.