Coronavirus: ‘Europe is in a fight for its life’ says Ursula von der Leyen
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Europe was in a ‘fight for its life’ as the death toll and infection rate of coronavirus rises across the continent. She told a relatively empty European Parliament that “the world has changed since the last...
Coronavirus restrictions: When does it end and could there be a second wave?
Countries around the world restricted citizens’ movement in a matter of days and many of the more than a billion people trapped at home are now wondering when they can resume a normal life. But several countries in Europe are extending their so-called lockdown policies...
French Christian charity workers kidnapped in Iraq are freed
Four workers from a French Christian charity who were kidnapped in Iraq in January have been freed, President Emmanuel Macron’s office said. The three French nationals and an Iraqi were abducted in Baghdad on 20 January at a time of heightened tensions. Their release came...
Italian nurse who fell ill commits suicide over fears of spreading coronavirus, nursing group says
A 34-year-old Italian nurse treating COVID-19 patients in the hard-struck European country has taken her own life for fear of having spread the illness, according to a nursing organization there. Daniela Trezzi worked in the intensive care unit of San Gerardo of Monza Hospital, according...
ARD Das Erste false statement about Georgia due to coronavirus
In its broadcast, ARD German Television (22.03.2020 20:33h) reported on the situation of the corona virus in Russia, Ukraine and Georgia. ARD’s reporting is completely amateur, false and ironic from Autor: Demian von Osten/ARD Studio Moskau. ARD Source ARD: With holy water and incense against Corona....
Coronavirus: Fears over rapid spread in Italy’s south
The Italian region worst hit by coronavirus has seen a steep decline in the number of deaths and infections but fears are growing that the country’s south could become the next hotspot. Recent numbers from the northern region of Lombardy suggested the epidemic might be...
London hospitals facing ‘tsunami’ of coronavirus cases
London hospitals are facing a “tsunami” of coronavirus cases and are beginning to run out of intensive care beds, a senior hospital figure has said. Chris Hopson, of NHS Providers, which represents hospitals, said while critical care capacity had been expanded hospitals in the capital...
Swedish populist quits party amid controversy over coronavirus masks
The deputy chairman of the right-wing populist party, Alternative for Sweden, has resigned just days after launching a business selling protective face masks. William Hahne announced he was stepping down from his role after a party board meeting on Sunday. Hahne’s resignation comes just days...
EU enlargement: Brussels ‘can open membership talks’ with Albania and North Macedonia
The European Union has opened membership talks with the North Macedonia and Albania, the Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, has announced. Varhelyi took to Twitter to confirm that the bloc’s 27 EU members had reached the agreement, adding that this “also sends a...
Europe’s coronavirus lockdowns are making phone calls popular again
Europe’s wave of coronavirus lockdowns has sparked a hike in mobile phone calls. Mobile network providers have noticed an increase in activity for both voice calls and WiFi calls since a number of countries imposed confinement. Spanish telecommunications giant Telefonica reported that both fixed and...
France launches special train to transport COVID-19 patients from east to west
France will start running a special train to transport COVID-19 patients to the west of the country as its eastern region struggles with a surge in cases of the virus. The train will run from Strasbourg to the Loire region, transporting a total of 20...
‘Tweet us’, doctors tell Spaniards during lockdown
Doctors and other health professionals in Spain have taken to Twitter in an effort to consult patients online as the country faces another two weeks of lockdown. A range of specialists, from urologists to dermatologists to ophthalmologists, are using the social network to field concerns...
Coronavirus: French mayor removes public benches amid claims of lockdown rebellion
The mayor of a Lille suburb says he has removed public benches in a bid to get people to obey lockdown rules. Sébastien Leprêtre has taken away around 40 benches after claiming locals in La Madeleine were not respecting confinement orders. “Even if the fines...
COVID-19: No parade on National Day as Greece fights coronavirus
On March 25, Greece and Cyprus mark the start of a 1821 war of independence against the Ottoman Empire. But in 2020, festivities were considerably more muted than in previous years. Gone was the military march as well as a traditional parade of schoolchildren carrying...
Italy’s inspiring response to the coronavirus
As Italy becomes the global epicentre for the coronavirus pandemic, the nation’s beautiful, shared showcase of Italian culture is nothing short of remarkable. By Erica Firpo 26 March 2020 It’s late afternoon and my daughter and I are leaning out of our living room window,...
Queen Elizabeth remains ‘in good health’ after Prince Charles tests positive
Queen Elizabeth II remains in good health after her son Prince Charles has tested positive for COVID-19, Fox News has learned. “Her Majesty The Queen remains in good health. The Queen last saw the Prince of Wales briefly after the investiture on the morning of...
Coronavirus: Prince Charles tests positive but ‘remains in good health’
The Prince of Wales has tested positive for coronavirus, Clarence House has announced. Prince Charles, 71, is displaying mild symptoms “but otherwise remains in good health”, a spokesman said, adding that the Duchess of Cornwall, 72, has been tested but does not have the virus....
Coronavirus: Human rights alarm as Hungary seeks indefinite extension to state of emergency
Hungarian MPs are considering a new bill which would increase the government’s powers during the coronavirus pandemic. New legislation would allow Viktor Orban’s government to extend the state of emergency indefinitely, even if the spread of COVID-19 made it impossible to sit in Parliament. But...
Clinical drug trials starting in Europe include potential of chloroquine to treat coronavirus
Europe has begun clinical trials of experimental drugs to treat COVID-19 in thousands of patients including a much talked about antimalarial drug, chloroquine. The trials will include 3,200 patients in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, France, and Spain. There will be 800 patients...
Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond cleared of sexual assault charges
Scotland’s former First Minister Alex Salmond has been cleared of sexual assault against nine women when he was in office. The 65-year-old was acquitted on 12 charges, while another charge was not proven — which under Scottish law effectively means not guilty. The decision of...
‘We are constantly exposed’: Doctors and nurses fear Germany not prepared for COVID-19
Germany may have been spared the high level of fatalities from coronavirus than Italy or Spain, but experts warn that the worst could still be to come. “We are at the beginning of an epidemic,” said Lothar Wieler, head of the Robert Koch Institute, at...
Non-stop work and no protection: Bergamo’s funeral houses say ‘enough’
They’ve been working non-stop for almost a month, without gloves and masks. None of them have been tested, although they have met dozens of family members and friends of the people who died because of COVID-19. Owners and employees of funeral homes in the province...
Coronavirus: Elderly found ‘dead and abandoned’ in Spanish nursing homes
Elderly people have been found dead and abandoned in nursing homes in Spain, the country’s defence minister has said. Margarita Robles, speaking in a television interview, said the army had made the discoveries while disinfecting old people’s homes. The military had found “the elderly absolutely...
Millions of gig economy workers need help now to make coronavirus lockdowns work
Millions of gig economy workers across the world are facing an impossible choice as a result of the coronavirus pandemic: break lockdown rules, or stay home and earn nothing. The dilemma was illustrated Tuesday by images of packed subway cars in London less than 12...
Astérix comic books cartoonist Albert Uderzo dies aged 92
Albert Uderzo, the cartoonist behind the famous French Astérix and Obélix comic series, has died at the age of 92. “Albert Uderzo died in his sleep at his home in Neuilly from a heart attack unrelated to the coronavirus,” his son-in-law Bernard de Choisy confirmed...
Coronavirus: Uefa postpones European club finals
Uefa could authorise one-legged knockout matches for some Champions League and Europa League ties after postponing the finals of all this season’s major competitions. With European football suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic, there was no possibility of the competitions reaching their scheduled conclusion at...
Spain’s coronavirus death toll jumps 514 in 24 hours
The coronavirus death toll in Spain has jumped by 514 in a single day, as the situation in the country quickly worsens. Official figures show that 2,696 people have now died in the country and close to 40,000 are infected. About 5,400 health care workers...
Germany’s Angela Merkel in quarantine after doctor tests positive for coronavirus
Shortly after announcing new measures in Germany to curb the spread of coronavirus, Chancellor Angela Merkel has gone into quarantine after a doctor she recently had contact with tested positive for the virus. A spokesperson for Merkel said the chancellor, who is 65, had received...
UK’s Boris Johnson orders closures of all non-essential businesses to stop coronavirus
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday ordered the closure of most stores and banned gatherings for three weeks in an effort to tackle the spread of the novel coronavirus. The move marked a departure from the British government’s until-now more relaxed approach to the...
Coronavirus: 1.5 billion people worldwide in lockdown as COVID-19 spreads
The coronavirus pandemic was accelerating as the latest figures showed more than 350,000 were infected by the virus with cases in almost every country in the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO, said countries needed to take the...