Europe

BERLIN/WASHINGTON, April 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US has been accused of redirecting 200,000 Germany-bound masks for its own use, in a move condemned as “modern piracy”.

The local government in Berlin said the shipment of US-made masks was “confiscated” in Bangkok.

The FFP2 masks, which were ordered by Berlin’s police force, did not reach their destination, it said.

Andreas Geisel, Berlin’s interior minister, said the masks were presumably diverted to the US.

LONDON, April 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was remaining in isolation with mild symptoms of COVID-19, including a high temperature, seven days after he first tested positive for the new coronavirus which causes respiratory disease.

“Although I’m feeling better and I’ve done my seven days of isolation, alas I still have one of the symptoms, a minor symptom, I still have a temperature,” a weary-looking Johnson, sitting in a chair with his shirt open at the neck, said in a Twitter video message.

PIRAEUS, April 3 (Xinhua) -- The Greek ferry "Eleftherios Venizelos" with 119 confirmed cases on board has docked at Piraeus port, as the Greek government started on Friday the transfer to the shore of 261 passengers who tested negative for the novel coronavirus, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.

According to the report, the 119 infected will remain on board for a 14-day quarantine.

The ferry had anchored outside the harbor since March 22, barred from docking as part of measures to restrict the spread of the virus.

VIENNA, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz vowed on Friday that Austria would make a "comeback" as a business location after overcoming the coronavirus pandemic.

"I would like to be able to look back in a year with you and say: we have overcome the disease, we have saved lives together and we have made a comeback as a business location," said Kurz before the members of the National Council, all of whom were wearing masks.

ROME, April 3 (Xinhua) - To date, the coronavirus pandemic has claimed 14,681 lives in locked-down Italy. The number of confirmed infections, fatalities and recoveries totaled 119,827 on Friday, the country's Civil Protection Department managing the national emergency response said on Friday.

LONDON (AP) — Prince Charles remotely opened a vast temporary hospital for COVID-19 patients at London’s main exhibition center Friday, as the number of coronavirus-related deaths reported in the U.K. surpassed China’s official total.

While confirmed virus cases and deaths continued to rise steeply, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he remained in isolation with a fever eight days after testing positive for the new virus.

MOSCOW, April 3. /TASS/: Russia’s Finance Ministry expects the federal budget’s shortfall in oil and gas will amount to 55.8 billion rubles ($726 mln) due to oil prices. This is according to a statement on the ministry’s website.

"The volume of lost federal budget oil and gas revenues caused by the gap between the base oil price and the actual price in April 2020 is expected to amount to 55.8 billion rubles," the ministry said in a statement.

BERGAMO /Italy/, April 3. /TASS/: Russia’s military specialists jointly with Italian colleagues have carried out a disinfection effort at 20 retirement homes in northern Italy’s Lombardy, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.

"Russian epidemiologists and specialists of radiation, chemical, and biological protection troops of the Russian Defense Ministry jointly with Italian military specialists have carried out a full sanitary disinfection effort at 20 retirement homes in Lombardy. Over 80,000 square meters of indoor premises have been disinfected," the ministry said.

MADRID, April 3. /TASS/: At least 117,710 cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have been documented in Spain since the start of the outbreak, the Spanish Health Ministry informed on Friday.

The ministry added that 10,935 people have died and 30,513 have recovered. On Thursday afternoon, the ministry reported 110,238 cases of COVID-19 and 10,003 victims of the disease. In the past 24 hours, 932 people have died in Spain from the virus.

MOSCOW, April 3. /TASS/: Moscow has launched a system of social monitoring to track the movements of COVID-19 patients that are receiving treatment at home, Moscow’s IT Department informed on Friday.

"In accordance with the mayor’s decree, we have begun to use social monitoring technologies to track the location of patients with confirmed COVID-19 that have decided to receive treatment at home," the message informs.