Europe

SIMFEROPOL, April 2. /TASS/: Two natives of Central Asian countries suspected of planning to join terrorists in Syria have been detained in Crimea, the regional branch of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement.

MOSCOW, April 2. /TASS/: Russian Railways (RZD) has ceased implementation of infrastructure projects in Iran, press release of the holding said on Thursday. The Iranian side has been notified, the company noted.

In this regard, RZD International, which is in charge of the holding's foreign projects, has stopped work on electrification of the Garmsar - Inche Burun line and closes a branch in Tehran.

MINSK, April 2. / TASS /: Belarus expects to buy 2 million tonnes of oil at a price of about $4 per barrel from Russia in April, said Prime Minister of the Republic Sergei Rumas on Thursday.

MOSCOW, April 2. /TASS/: Manufacturers operating under the aegis of the Russian space corporation Roscosmos in February submitted applications for obtaining registration of a ventilator for newly-born babies and a medical gas mixer.

"The pneumatically driven and manually controlled machine is meant for providing respiratory support for newly-born babies in apnea or condition of grave respiratory deficiency in the first minutes after birth," Roscosmos said.

MOSCOW, April 2. /TASS/: The number of coronavirus cases in Russia grew by 771 in the past 24 hours, reaching 3,548, the coronavirus response center said in a statement on Thursday.

"A total of 3,458 coronavirus cases have so far been recorded in 76 Russian regions. As many as 45 patients recovered in the past 24 hours, 235 were discharged from hospitals. Six coronavirus patients died in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 30," the statement reads.

VIENNA, Apr 2 (NNN-XINHUA) – The COVID-19 pandemic caused unemployment in Austria to hit a historic high since 1946, according to a leading provider of labour-market related services in the country.

GENEVA, April 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A UN human rights expert called for lifting international sanctions against countries ranging from Iran to North Korea and Venezuela to ensure that food supplies reach hungry populations during the coronavirus pandemic.

Iran, under sweeping US sanctions for its nuclear and missile programmes, is among the hardest-hit by the new pathogen. Venezuela has notified 113 cases to the World Health Organization (WHO), while isolated North Korea, which borders on China and South Korea, has yet to report any.

LONDON, Apr 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) – This year’s Wimbledon has been cancelled, due to public health concerns, related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the All England Club (AELTC) announced, after an emergency meeting.

This year’s Wimbledon competition was scheduled for Jun 29 to July 12. The cancellation was the first time in the tournament’s history, the oldest tennis tournament in the world, since the second World War.

ROME, Apr 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Italy will remain under a nationwide anti-COVID-19 lock-down until Apr 13, Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, said, in a televised press conference on Wednesday evening.

The announcement came just two days before the current lock-down, which started on Mar 10, was due to end on Apr 3 (tomorrow).

“We have surpassed 13,000 deaths, and this is a wound that pains us especially — it is a wound that will never heal,” Conte said.

GENEVA (Reuters) - The head of the World Health Organization voiced deep concern on Wednesday about the rapid escalation and global spread of COVID-19 cases from the new coronavirus, which has now reached 205 countries and territories.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that his agency, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund backed debt relief to help developing countries cope with the pandemic’s social and economic consequences.