Europe

MOSCOW, April 4. /TASS/: From April 9, Russia will cancel restrictions on flights to 52 countries imposed due to the pandemic, including Argentina, India, China, South Africa, and other friendly states, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced on Monday.

"Starting from April 9, we are lifting restrictions set for combating coronavirus pandemic, which applied to our regular and charter flights between Russia and a number of other countries," he said, noting that the document was signed on Monday.

CHISINAU, April 4. /TASS/: The Moldovan authorities do not register an increase in the number of Russian servicemen in Transnistria, Moldovan President Maia Sandu told journalists on Monday.

Earlier, the Ukrainian General Staff disseminated information that the deployment of military units in Transnistria was allegedly recorded to prepare an offensive. The Transnistrian authorities debunked this information.

LONDON, April 4. /TASS/: The Board of Governors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development approved taking firm action against Russia and Belarus, suspending the access by both countries to its financing and expertise, the EBRD said in a statement on Monday.

VILNIUS, April 4. /TASS/: The Russian ambassador in Vilnius will have to leave Lithuania as Lithuania is recalling its ambassador from Moscow, the Baltic country’s Foreign Minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, told reporters on Monday.

"The Lithuanian government, in response to the ongoing aggressive actions of Russia in Ukraine, has decided to downgrade the status of the diplomatic mission," he said. "The Russian ambassador will have to leave Lithuania."

The Lithuanian ambassador in Moscow "is returning to Lithuania in the near future," the minister said.

LONDON, April 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Oil prices extended losses on Monday as investors eyed the release of supplies from strategic reserves from consuming nations, while a truce in Yemen could ease supply disruption concerns in the Middle East.

Brent crude futures fell 79 cents, or 0.8per cent, to $103.60 a barrel by 0037 GMT while US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $98.45 a barrel, down 82 cents, or 0.8per cent. Both contracts slipped $1 when markets opened on Monday.

PARIS, April 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — UN climate experts are set to release what is expected to be the definitive guide to halting global warming on Monday, in a report that lays out how societies and economies must transform to ensure a “liveable” future.

   With war in Ukraine spurring an urgent energy rethink in the West, analysts say the latest report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will also be an important resource for nations seeking a rapid
transition away from Russian oil and gas.

April 4 (Reuters) - Western leaders should examine their own consciences before accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of war crimes, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday.

He said Moscow would hold a news conference later in the day to demonstrate that Western accusations that its soldiers killed civilians in Northern Ukraine were false.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday accused Putin of war crimes and called for a trial, adding to the global outcry over civilian killings in the Ukrainian town of Bucha as more graphic images of their deaths emerged. 

April 4 (Reuters) - Moscow will respond to France's decision to expel Russian diplomats, Interfax news agency reported on Monday, citing the Russian foreign ministry.

France has decided to expel many Russian diplomatic staff, echoing a similar action taken by Germany, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.

PARIS, April 4 (Reuters) - French far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, whose presidential campaign has gained momentum in recent days, on Monday captured 48.5% of voter intentions in an opinion poll of a likely runoff against Emmanuel Macron, the highest score she has ever notched.

Harris Interactive in a poll for business weekly Challenges said that a victory by Macron - which pollsters considered almost a foregone conclusion in past months - was now within the margin of error.

BELGRADE, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic declared his convincing victory on Sunday in the first round of the presidential elections, securing another five-year term.

According to preliminary results of the Serbian Progressive Party  (SNS) revealed by Vucic, he won between 59-and 61 percent in the elections, while the ruling SNS won 44 percent of parliamentary elections.