Europe

Paris, Mar 26; AFP:  Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday stressed the growing convergence between Beijing and the European Union on global issues from climate change to trade, urging the two sides to overcome their "suspicions".

At a meeting in Paris between Xi, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, the leaders declared their desire to work together.

LONDON (AP) — British lawmakers are set to hold a series of votes on different options for Brexit in an attempt to break the country’s political deadlock.

Lawmakers voted 329-302 to take control of Parliament’s timetable from the government starting Wednesday to hold votes on alternative Brexit options.

The alternatives could include remaining in the European Union’s single market or canceling Brexit altogether.

The government promised to “engage constructively” with the process but has not committed to enacting whatever lawmakers decide.

26 Mar 2019; DW: Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the production of energy reached a new record in 2018, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a report on Tuesday.

CO2 emissions are the main driving force behind global warming, which scientists fear could spiral out of control unless drastic action is taken to reduce global emissions.

The IEA's key findings:

26 Mar 2019; DW: The leaders of China, Germany, France and the EU are set for "unprecedented" talks on building a new global governance. The challenge for Europe is how to balance ties in the face of Beijing's growing global influence.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will be joining French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping for talks in Paris on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. Russian and Chinese scientists will organize joint studies of the Arctic and Antarctic, they will explore mineral and biology resources in the global ocean, the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Vice President Andrey Adrianov told TASS after the first meeting between representatives of the Russian and Chinese Academies of Sciences in Beijing on Sunday.

MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. The Roscosmos state corporation will preserve the International Space Station (ISS) on the orbit even if the American side withdraws from the project, Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Rogozin told journalists.

"This is Roscosmos’ proposal. We believe that we can keep the station in case the Americans decide to withdraw from this project, through other countries and partners. We have technological and technical capabilities to keep the station on the orbit and fully provide both electric energy and water there," Rogozin said.

MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. Ukraine’s special services were behind the assassination of militia leaders of the self-proclaimed Donbass republics, former officer of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) Vasily Prozorov told a news conference in Moscow on Monday.

Prozorov denied the claims that many militia leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics had been killed in internal skirmishes. "Their killing was the work of Ukraine’s special services," he said. This effort is led by the SBU’s special unit.

MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. The signing of a proclamation recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights by US President Donald Trump does not change Russia’s official stance on the issue, Russian Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told TASS on Monday.

"Nothing has changed, either before or after. Our principled stance and assessments have been provided on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website," he stressed.

MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. The Ukrainian side was involved in the MH17 flight disaster over Donbass, a former officer of the Ukrainian security service SBU, Vasily Prozorov, told a news conference on Monday.

"It is my personal opinion and it relies on certain information. The Ukrainian side is an accomplice to the Malaysian MH17 flight disaster," he said.

KIEV, March 25 (Xinhua) -- At least 14 people died and more than 32,000 were infected in a major measles outbreak in Ukraine in the past three months, the country's Health Ministry said on Monday.

A total of 32,939 people, including 18,109 children, were infected from December 28, 2018 to March 12, 2019 by measles in Ukraine, the ministry said in a statement.