BRASILIA -- The Brazilian government wants lockdowns lifted so economic activity can return to normal "as quickly as possible," President Jair Bolsonaro said Wednesday, following a meeting of the National Coordination Committee on the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Social distancing, restrictions on mobility and other measures taken by Brazil's state governments to curb the outbreak are harming the economy, Bolsonaro, accompanied by other officials and legislators, said at a press conference. (Brazil-Coronavirus)

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UNITED NATIONS -- The humanitarian situation in Ethiopia's conflict-stricken Tigray state remains extremely dire, said a UN spokesman on Wednesday.

Access in parts of southern and southeastern Tigray has been curtailed for a month and the road from Alamata to Mekelle, the regional capital, remains closed, blocking humanitarian response in the area, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. (UN-Ethiopia-Tigray)

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COPENHAGEN -- On the eve of the Easter holidays, World Health Organization (WHO) Europe warned Europeans on Wednesday against making "individual" travel plans that could "affect more people than those close by" and could "also impact communities."

"Many countries across the WHO European region are in the midst of a serious resurgence of COVID-19 cases, and at this point in the pandemic we cannot afford to drop our guard and give up any of the public health measures used so far," the organization said in a press release. (Denmark-WHO)

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MOSCOW -- Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said on Wednesday that he is not anticipating "bright prospects" for Russia-U.S. relations.

The bilateral ties are in the midst of a deep crisis, which has grown partly due to the reluctance of the U.S. Joe Biden administration to solve problems with Moscow, Antonov said at a joint meeting of the international and defense committees of the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament. (Russia-U.S.-Relations) Enditem

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