By , SINGAPORE/BELGRADE (Reuters) - Last month, six Chinese medical professionals stepped off an Air Serbia jet in Belgrade to a red-carpet welcome from President Aleksandar Vucic and an array of cabinet ministers. After elbow-bump greetings, Vucic kissed Serbia’s flag, then China’s.In Serbia, one of Beijing’s closest European allies, and a handful of other friendly countries, China is providing on-the-ground guidance to help battle the coronavirus that has swept around the world.The outreach is part of a wider push by Beijing to assert global leadership in battling COVID-19 after facing...…By , SINGAPORE/BELGRADE (Reuters) - Last month, six Chinese medical professionals stepped off an Air Serbia jet in Belgrade to a red-carpet welcome from President Aleksandar Vucic and an array of cabinet ministers. After elbow-bump greetings, Vucic kissed Serbia’s flag, then China’s.In Serbia, one of Beijing’s closest European allies, and a handful of other friendly countries, China is providing on-the-ground guidance to help battle the coronavirus that has swept around the world.The outreach is part of a wider push by Beijing to assert global leadership in battling COVID-19 after facing...WW…

By BELGRADE (Reuters) - Hungary’s nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orban, said on Friday he expected to renounce a set of much-criticised emergency powers to fight the coronavirus this month.Parliament granted Orban the right in March to rule by decree indefinitely to fight the pandemic. The law has triggered criticism from opposition parties, rights groups and Europe’s main rights forum, the Council of Europe.“We expect the government will be able to return the special powers to tackle the coronavirus pandemic to parliament at the end of May,” an announcement on Orban’s Facebook page...…By BELGRADE (Reuters) - Hungary’s nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orban, said on Friday he expected to renounce a set of much-criticised emergency powers to fight the coronavirus this month.Parliament granted Orban the right in March to rule by decree indefinitely to fight the pandemic. The law has triggered criticism from opposition parties, rights groups and Europe’s main rights forum, the Council of Europe.“We expect the government will be able to return the special powers to tackle the coronavirus pandemic to parliament at the end of May,” an announcement on Orban’s Facebook page...WW…