Europe

PARIS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- "It is a pleasure to have friends coming from afar," the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius said in The Analects of Confucius, a collection of his ideas and sayings.

This Chinese classic has now been given to a friend from afar as a national gift of France. That friend is Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is on a state visit to the European country.

LONDON, March 25 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday that there is "still not sufficient support" in the House of Commons for a third vote on her Brexit deal.

She made the statement at the House of Commons as the European Commission announced that it had completed its preparations for a potential no-deal Brexit on April 12, warning that scenario was "increasingly likely."

May said that the government will oppose the amendment that would lead to a series of so-called indicative votes on alternatives to May's deal.

25 Mar 2019; DW: Activists from 35 countries met in Berlin this week to call for a ban on lethal autonomous weapons, ahead of new talks on such weapons in Geneva. They say that if Germany took the lead, other countries would follow

25 Mar 2019; DW: Crowds at a far-right rock concert in eastern Germany threw cups of beer at police and journalists and sprayed them with a fire extinguisher, police said on Sunday.

The journalists wanted to report on the event in the town of Ostritz and had initially been refused access. When they returned with a group of police officers, they were attacked by some of the concertgoers. 

25 Mar 2019; DW: The EU's budget commissioner, Günther Oettinger, proposed on Sunday giving the bloc the right to deny Chinese-funded infrastructure deals in Europe if they don't serve the EU's common interests.

The call came a day after Italy signed on to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an ambitious infrastructure project that has raised concerns in many EU capitals.

What are Oettinger's concerns?

Oettinger told Germany's Funke Media group:

24 Mar 2019; DW: The Viking Sky cruise ship that lost power off the coast of Norway arrived at a nearby port on Sunday after three of the vessel's four engines were restarted.

Rescuers said two tug boats aided the vessel as it navigated toward the town of Molde, more than 24 hours after an evacuation order was issued when the ship lost engine power in stormy weather.

24 Mar 2019; DW: Theresa May was battling to convince lawmakers within her Conservative Party to back her Brexit withdrawal deal on Sunday amid reports that senior ministers in her Cabinet were planning to force her resignation.

May met with senior party officials and pro-Brexit lawmakers who oppose her deal at her Chequers country retreat after inviting them to discuss a way forward. Boris Johnson, Dominic Raab, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Ian Duncan Smith were reportedly present at the meeting.

25 Mar 2019; DW: Two planes loaded with Russian soldiers and military equipment landed in Venezuela at the weekend, officials said.

The delivery is part of ongoing cooperation between the two nations.

What we know so far

BELGRADE, March 24./TASS/. Members and supporters of the Serbian Radical Party staged a rally in Belgrade on Sunday, March 24, the day that marks 20 years since NATO launched its military operation against Yugoslavia. Party leader Vojislav Seselj burned flags of NATO and the European Union during the Sunday rally, Tanjug news agency reported.

MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. Outside pressure in the form of sanctions has become an incentive to resolve various issues of Russia’s economy, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev stated in an interview with the Izvestiya daily.

He noted that through introducing sanctions against Russia, "the West aims to destabilize Russia’s economy and to create social and political tensions in society."