Europe

Russia has confirmed more than 232,000 cases of coronavirus – the second-highest toll in the world. In the last 24 hours the country has reported 10,899 infections, the tenth consecutive day that number has been above 10,000. Among the infected is President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, local media report. …

Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov has confirmed that he has tested positive for coronavirus and is now in hospital. Peskov, a household name in Russia, has worked with President Vladimir Putin for twenty years. “That’s right, I am ill. I’m getting treatment,” he said when asked about his diagnosis by …

Four Tajik nationals have been detained in Poland for allegedly recruiting Extremist Muslim converts with the aim of carrying out terrorist activities, according to the spokesman of the minister coordinator for special services. According to the minister’s spokesman, Stanislaw Zaryn, Poland’s Internal Security Agency found evidence showing that the four …

The coronavirus pandemic and ensuing economic hardship have left 700,000 children under 15 years of age in Italy without enough food, the country’s biggest farming organization have warned. “The number of children under the age of 15 who need help to get milk or food to eat has risen to …

French prosecutors said Monday they are opening an investigation into ex-president Valery Giscard d’Estaing over allegations by a German journalist that he sexually assaulted her after an interview in 2018. The investigation follows claims by reporter Ann-Kathrin Stracke that Giscard d’Estaing, 94, repeatedly touched her behind in his Paris office, …

Interpol has issued a wanted notice for Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a U.S. diplomat, who is wanted in Britain over a fatal car crash in a case that has caused friction between London and Washington, ITV reported on Monday. “An Interpol Red Notice has been issued for 42-year-old Anne …

France is urging its European Union partners to consider threatening Israel with a tough response if it goes ahead with a de facto annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank, three EU diplomats said. Belgium, Ireland, and Luxembourg also want to discuss the possibility of punitive economic measures during …

Senior citizens got the green light to leave their homes between 0800 GMT and 1200 GMT on Sunday, a period in which other age groups were under lockdown in 24 provinces, including Ankara and Istanbul. Turkish people aged 65 and over on Sunday described their joy after the government allowed …

As the worldwide death toll surged past 279,000 with over four million infections, France and Spain look set to reopen the countries after seeing a consistent decrease in both the daily number of new cases and deaths from Covid-19. People in France and Spain, two of Europe’s countries hardest hit …

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued new stay-at-home advice on Sunday and warned he would proceed cautiously on lifting a nationwide coronavirus lockdown as the death toll in Britain, already the highest in Europe, continues to mount. In a televised address to the nation at 7:00 pm (1800 GMT), Johnson …

Coronavirus infections are rising in Germany, official data shows, just days after the country eased its lockdown restrictions. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany’s reproduction rate – the number of people each confirmed patient infects – is now above 1. This means the number of infections is now …

Ammunition that has remained in the ground in an abandoned military base in Russia’s Udmurt Republic since a fire in 2011 is exploding due to grassfires, a representative of the Russian emergency services said on Saturday. “In the Pugachevo village, there are explosions of the ammunition left in the ground …

The coronavirus pandemic has made an already difficult timeline for a British-European Union trade deal “virtually impossible”, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said, cautioning that he did not wish to raise expectations of London seeking more time. Tortuous Brexit talks, now focused on setting new trading terms from 2021 when …

Police in France has dismantled smuggling networks trying to take advantage of a rush to buy medical supplies –including face masks– to tackle the coronavirus epidemic. By the end of April, police had dismantled a number of such smuggling networks, stopped scams and attempted scams to the value of more …

British coastguards rescued more than 120 migrants trying to cross the English Channel on seven small boats, French maritime authorities said on Friday. The rescue took place in the night from Thursday to Friday, according to a spokesman for the Maritime Prefecture for the Channel and the North Sea. Border …

Leaders across Europe are marking the 75th anniversary of VE Day with low-key ceremonies, as much of the continent remains under coronavirus lockdown. The UK has held a two-minute silence to honor the war dead, and later an address by the Queen will be broadcast. The leaders of France and …

The director of the European branch of the World Health Organization, Hans Klug, said today, Thursday, that the organization expresses “deep concern” over reports of the increase in family violence in the continent recently. Clog added that some countries indicated that 60 percent of women had experienced domestic violence, while …

The UK economy is heading for its worst crash in more than 300 years because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new forecast from the Bank of England. The central bank said Thursday that the British economy could shrink by 14% this year. That would be the biggest annual …

An official says the election cannot be pulled off on Sunday, but the vote has not been officially postponed, either. Poland is scheduled to hold a presidential election in just four days but nobody can say whether it will happen or not. Sunday’s election date was set months ago but …

The European Union faces a deep and uneven recession, according to a new forecast from the EU’s Commission. The bloc’s executive arm predicts a recovery in 2021 but warns that the uncertainty is exceptionally high. The Commission predicts a decline in economic activity this year of 7.5% and slightly more …