Europe

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Friday, hitting three-month highs, as upbeat economic data from China and the United States indicated an end to the trade war between Washington and Beijing has restored confidence in the global growth.

Brent crude was up 29 cents, or 0.4%, at $68.21 a barrel at 0903 GMT.

The West Texas Intermediate CLc1 was up 24 cents, or 0.4%, at $61.92 a barrel.

Volume of oil trade remained thin in the Christmas holidays and New Year breaks.

PARIS (Reuters) - The European Union may need to extend the deadline for talks about a new trade relationship with Britain, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told French daily Les Echos in an interview published on Friday.

Von der Leyen said both sides needed to seriously think about whether there is enough time to negotiate a new trade deal and work out agreements about a series of other issues.

“It would be reasonable to evaluate the situation mid-year and then, if necessary, agree on extending the transition period,” she told the paper.

PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Montenegro’s parliament adopted a contested law on religious rights early Friday after chaotic scenes in the assembly that resulted in the detention of all pro-Serb opposition lawmakers.

The vote followed a day of nationwide protests by supporters of the Serbian Orthodox Church who say the law will strip the church of its property, including medieval monasteries and churches. The government has denied that.

MADRID, Dec 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Around 100 migrants were rescued off the coast of Spain on Thursday, adding to around another 200 plucked off makeshift boats on Christmas Day, Spain’s maritime rescue service said.

More than half of them were found off the Costa Blanca on Spain’s southeastern coast, with 10 people rescued just before dawn, among them eight men, a woman and a child.

Later in the morning, rescuers saved 16 men off a boat near Torrevieja, while another 12 men were rescued from a dinghy off Xabia, some 45 kilometres up the coast from Benidorm.

BERLIN, Dec 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit Turkey next month to urge President Tayyip Erdogan to uphold the migration pact he agreed with the European Union, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported, responding to fears that conflict in Syria could unleash a new refugee wave.

MOSCOW, Dec 27 (NNN-TASS) – Representatives of Russian state space corporation, Roscosmos, and the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), will meet “closer to spring,” to discuss Russia’s joining the Lunar Gateway project, Roscosmos head, Dmitry Rogozin, said.

Russia could contribute a backup transport system, since “you never know what can happen, if there is only one,” Rogozin was quoted as saying.

26 Dec 2019; MEMO: Pope Francis on Wednesday decried the international migrant crisis in his traditional Christmas address,  Anadolu reports.

“It is injustice that makes them cross deserts and seas that become cemeteries,” said the pontiff in his Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) Christmas Day message, addressing crowds from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.

MOSCOW, December 26. /TASS/: The Black Sea Fleet’s naval taskforce comprising frigates and submarines held drills to search for, track and destroy a notional enemy’s subs, the Fleet’s press office reported on Thursday.

The submarines Veliky Novgorod and Kolpino alternately simulated the adversary force that was seeking to get away from the chase. The crews of the frigates Admiral Makarov and Admiral Grigorovich fulfilled the tasks of searching for submarines jointly with small anti-submarine warfare ships," the press office said in a statement.

MOSCOW, December 26. /TASS/: Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov doubts that negotiations similar to the Normandy format can help improve Russian-Georgian relations.

"The Normandy format is unique. It was formed proceeding from the need to resolve the conflict in southeastern Ukraine, the intra-Ukrainian conflict, while here the issue at hand is bilateral relations between Russia and Georgia, which, unfortunately, leave a lot to be desired now, putting it mildly," he told reporters on Thursday.

MOSCOW, December 26. /TASS/: Foreign interference won’t help resolve the situation in Libya but efforts to facilitate the search for a solution are welcome, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"As for the situation in Libya, it definitely causes much concern, and we, too, are concerned. We have repeatedly reiterated that Russia is interested in finding a peaceful solution to the Libyan crisis as soon as possible in order to end the bloodshed," the Kremlin spokesman pointed out.