2020年CRI 意大利努力遏制疫情扩散（在线收听）

The Chinese government will take more steps to keep foreign trade and investment stable.

A State Council executive meeting called for intensified efforts to shorten the negative list on foreign investment, and expand the industries catalog in which foreign investment is encouraged.

Financial institutions are also encouraged to increase foreign trade loans, while commercial insurance companies will be supported in offering short-term export credit insurance services.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi is calling on China and Malaysia to strengthen high-level exchanges and communication.

He made the remarks in a phone talk with his Malaysian counterpart Hishammuddin Hussein.

Wang Yi says bilateral cooperation should be promoted to contribute to each other's development.

He also calls on the two countries to jointly uphold the international order and maintain the multilateral trading system.

Hussein says Malaysia stands ready to work with China to further strengthen bilateral relations.

He also expresses willingness to exchange experience in epidemic prevention and control work.

The World Health Organization says the novel coronavirus outbreak can be characterized as a "pandemic" as the virus spreads worldwide.

Currently there are over 110-thousand confirmed cases in 114 countries and regions, including nearly 4,300 deaths.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the number of confirmed cases and deaths will climb.

But he also says that describing the situation as a pandemic does not change the WHO's assessment of the virus' threat, and that the disease's course can still be changed if proper measures are taken.

"If countries detect, test, treat, isolate, trace and mobilize their people in the response, those with a handful of cases can prevent those cases becoming clusters and those clusters becoming community transmission."

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has announced stringent new measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus epidemic.

The measures include the closure of all retail shops, coffee bars, pubs, and restaurants, as well as all hair and beauty salons.

Authorities also call on the private sector to let employees take leave or to work from home as much as possible.

The only exceptions are supermarkets, pharmacies, public transportation, post offices, banks, farms, and food production industries, which officials say must be kept running in order to guarantee basic services to the public.

The coronavirus epidemic has so far infected over 10,000 people and killed over 800 in Italy since it first appeared in the country on Feb. 21.

A Chinese envoy has asked for uniform counter-terrorism standards and for consensus to fight terrorism in Africa.

Chinese permanent representative to the UN Zhang Jun says all terrorist activities must be dealt with relentlessly, regardless of the flags they fly or the countries they target.

He says linking terrorism with specific religions or ethnicity should be avoided.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is calling on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an to stop encouraging migrants in Turkey to cross into Greece.

Mitsotakis says Turkey has to pull back migrants who have gathered in the Evros region if it wants to review a 2016 pact agreed on with the European Union to stem the flow of migrants towards Europe.

He made the remarks in Berlin after a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"Greece always recognizes that Turkey has a critical role to play in handling of the refugee problem, and it needs the help of Europe to do it, but this cannot happen under conditions of threats and blackmail using fleeing people as pawns."

Erdogan will seek European financial, political and military support in talks on Monday with EU and NATO leaders.

Action from the UEFA Champions League:

Atletico Madrid knocked out defending champion Liverpool through an epic second leg game at Anfield.

Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum scored just before the half time to cancel out Atletico's 1-0 lead from the first leg.

Roberto Firmino then netted another in extra time to help the Reds establish a 2-1 aggregate lead.

Madrid scored three more and progressed 4-2 on aggregate.

Meanwhile Paris Saint-Germain finally reached the Champions League quarterfinals again by beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0.

The Paris team trailed 2-1 from the first leg in Germany.