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BRUSSELS, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived here Monday for the 21st China-European Union (EU) leaders' meeting.

China and Europe are two major forces and markets in the international arena, and are important cooperation partners to each other, Li said upon his arrival.

Li said he looks forward to having an in-depth exchange of views with the European side on bilateral ties and other issues of common concern on the basis of mutual respect, consultation, coordination and win-win outcomes.

WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines is extending by over a month its cancellations of about 90 daily flights as the troubled 737 Max plane remains grounded by regulators.

American said Sunday it is extending the cancellations through June 5 from the earlier timeframe of April 24. The airline acknowledged in a statement that the prolonged cancellations could bring disruption for some travelers.

ABUJA, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian government on Sunday suspended all forms of mining activities in Zamfara, a northwestern state of the country.

The government also ordered all foreigners engaged in mining activities to leave the area within 48 hours, acting Inspector General of Police Muhammed Adamu told reporters in the capital of Abuja.

The order was part of measures to check banditry in the state, the police chief said.

SYDNEY, April 8 (Xinhua) -- An experimental facility launched in the Australian State of Queensland on Monday will test a new way to purify bore water, industrial wastewater and sea water for drinking.

For the past three years, researchers from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), along with Japanese chemical conglomerate Asahi Kasei, have worked to develop a method by which solar energy or industrial "waste heat" can be used to desalinate water samples.

JAKARTA, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad have inked a joint letter of refusal to the European Union over its plan to bar crude palm oil (CPO) from being used in raw materials for bio-fuel, a senior minister disclosed here on Monday.

AMMAN, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Li Chengwen, ambassador for China-Arab States Cooperation Forum Affairs of China's Foreign Ministry, refuted on Sunday the criticism that China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will create so-called "debt trap" for some participating countries.

"China is trying to find mechanisms to avoid the 'debt trap,'" Li said during a session on the second day of the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa 2019 held in the Dead Sea area of Jordan.

AMMAN, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Participants in the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) 2019 concluded on Sunday, calling on stakeholders to increase collaboration on social, economic and climate issues to address regional challenges.

"Building new platforms of collaboration is about providing space for people to think through the economic and social model, the environment and humanitarian emergencies in a multistakeholder way," said Mirek Dusek, head of MENA region of the World Economic Forum.

ISTANBUL, April 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's suggestion that Turkey would need to leave NATO if it buys Russian S-400 air defense system is no more than a bluff, but Washington would economically pressure Ankara to drop the deal, analysts told Xinhua.

"Pence's remark is just a big bluff," said Hasan Koni, an analyst on international relations with Istanbul Culture University. He drew attention to NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg's divergent view on the issue.

7 Apr 2019; DW: British Prime Minister Theresa May warned Saturday that the United Kingdom risks reversing its exit from the European Union if the country's two major parties fail to agree on a compromise withdrawal deal on time.

The prime minister said her Conservatives and the opposition Labour party had agreed on the need to end free movement for EU citizens in the UK, protect British jobs and leave the bloc with a deal.

ISTANBUL, April 6. /TASS/. Having purchased Russia’s S-400 missile defense systems, Turkey will ensure security not only of own borders but also of the European Union and NATO member states, Omer Celik, spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party, said on Saturday.