Europe

MOSCOW, April 3. /TASS/: The non-working period in Russia will end once the coronavirus spread is minimized, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.

"As long as the threat of the virus spread and the epidemic persists, as well as the risk of an increase in infection cases, the [non-working] period about which the president spoke yesterday will continue. Once the threat is over or minimized through joint efforts, there will be no more need to extend the period," Peskov pointed out.

LONDON, April 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The British Government is warning of delays to the EU settlement scheme because of the coronavirus outbreak.

More than 3 million people have already been granted the right to live and work in the UK after June 2021, but an estimated 600,000 have not yet registered.

In a blog posted on its website, the Home Office says new applications will “take longer than usual” to process during what it describes as a “challenging time”.

LONDON (Reuters) - The peak of the United Kingdom’s coronavirus outbreak will be slightly sooner than previously thought and will come in the next few weeks, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Friday.

“The modelling suggests that that peak will be slightly sooner than previous, in the next few weeks but it is very, very sensitive to how many people follow the social distancing guidelines,” Hancock told BBC radio.

BERLIN (Reuters) - Euro zone states that need aid from the bloc’s bailout fund to tackle the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak should get it quickly without being subjected to lengthy visits and policy proposals from officials, Germany’s finance minister said.

SARAJEVO, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Ji Ping signed a memorandum of understanding with BiH Minister of Civil Affairs Ankica Gudeljevic on Thursday to strengthen the medical science cooperation of the two countries.

Entrusted by China's National Health Commission, Ji signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Health and Medical Science between the National Health Commission and the BiH Ministry of Civil Affairs.

BRUSSELS/BERLIN, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 pandemic, which is sweeping the world, has left in its wake some 900,000 infected and over 45,000 dead by Thursday, according to the lastest World Health Organization (WHO) figures, triggering fears that the world economy could be driven into recession.

MOSCOW, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin declared Thursday an extension of paid leave for all Russians to April 30 due to COVID-19.

"If the situation allows, we will adjust the announced period of forced non-working days in the direction of its reduction," Putin said in a televised address to the nation.

The country's regions, depending on the objective situation, would decide which institutions and organizations should suspend their activities and which could continue their operations while strictly ensuring the safety of citizens, he said.

02 April 2020; MEMO: A former Prime Minister of Somalia has died after contracting coronavirus Covid-19 in London, his family said on Wednesday. The son of Nour Hassan Hussein Nour Adde said that his father died in King’s College Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment in recent weeks.

02 April 2020; MEMO: The European Union has agreed a $262 million package for countries hosting refugees and vulnerable persons from the Middle East, raising the total EU response to the Syrian crises to more than $2.2 billion.

This announcement comes over a week after the EU offered a similar aid package worth over $20 million to Iran to support its fight against the coronavirus outbreak. 

MOSCOW, April 2. /TASS/: Belarus will not be able to buy 2 million tonnes of oil from Russia at a price of $4 per barrel, if there is no corresponding market supply, Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov said, commenting on the statements of Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Rumas.