Europe

Poland’s parliament approved on Tuesday legislation allowing a delayed presidential election to go ahead using a mixture of postal and traditional voting, though the speaker of the lower chamber has still to announce a date for the ballot. The ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) had tried to hold the …

Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 55 on Tuesday, against 60 the day before, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the daily tally of new cases rose to 318 from 178 on Monday. The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on Feb. 21 now …

Austria has unveiled plans to “neutralise” the building where Nazi German dictator Adolf Hitler was born, by turning it into a police station. The government bought the building under a compulsory purchase order in 2016 after a lengthy dispute. Officials announced it would be turned into a police station in …

Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is planning to extend significant support to the UK’s domestic telecommunications companies as part of a more muscular foreign policy. The Times is reporting that the PM is “examining options” to boost “state investment” into British telecoms companies to help them “compete in the 5G technology …

France is rolling out an official coronavirus contact-tracing app aimed at containing fresh outbreaks as lockdown restrictions gradually ease, becoming the first major European country to deploy the smartphone technology amid simmering debate over privacy fears. The French will be able to download the StopCovid app on their Google Android …

The European Union and the United Kingdom have kicked off a fourth round of talks on a post-Brexit trade deal and other aspects of their future relations. The four-day negotiations by video conference began on Tuesday with officials trying to make headway after the last three rounds yielded little progress. …

The new coronavirus is losing its potency and has become much less lethal, a senior Italian doctor said on Sunday. “In reality, the virus clinically no longer exists in Italy,” said Alberto Zangrillo, head of the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan in the northern region of Lombardy, which has borne …

Head teachers are reporting “highly variable” levels of attendance, ranging from 40% to 70%, as primary schools in England bring back more pupils. Geoff Barton, leader of the ASCL heads’ union, says the return has been “very mixed” – with some schools not yet open and some children staying away. …

Spain said Monday it’s reporting no deaths in a 24-hour period from the new coronavirus for the first time since March. Emergency health response chief Fernando Simón said the development is “very, very encouraging.” He told a news conference there was only 71 new infection over the past 24 hours. …

Protesters have marched in the US for six consecutive nights over the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer. Their anger over the killing of the unarmed black man has now spread worldwide. Over the weekend demonstrators gathered in London, Berlin, and Auckland, among other cities, …

“We deeply regret the US decision to end the three waivers covering key JCPOA nuclear projects in Iran,” read a joint statement from Britain, France and Germany. Britain, France and Germany on Saturday strongly condemned a US decision to end sanctions waivers for companies from nations that remain in a …

The European Union’s Brexit trade demands will not change under UK pressure, Michel Barnier’s senior advisor has said – with just one month to go to agree on an extension. Stefaan de Rynck told an online conference that member states had again backed the “maximalist” negotiating mandate this week in …

Police officers have arrested over 650 people, safeguarding 140 children and seizing cash and drugs with a total value of over £3 million, as part of a crackdown on “county lines drug gangs”, the U.K.’s Home Office has said. Officers from British Transport Police, the Metropolitan Police, Merseyside Police, and …

British drugmaker GSK said on Thursday that its previous flu pandemic vaccine, which used some of the same ingredients as COVID-19 vaccines currently under development, was not linked to a rise in cases of the sleep disorder narcolepsy. A spokesman for GSK said the “science has moved on” since concerns …

The 27-nation EU remains deeply divided over what conditions should be attached to the funds and today’s proposal from the EU’s executive arm is likely to set off weeks of wrangling. The EU’s executive is proposing an $825 billion recovery fund to help the bloc’s economy through the painful recession …

The United Kingdom’s chief negotiator with the European Union following Brexit called on the bloc to “evolve” in order to make progress in key talks. The ongoing negotiations to hammer out vital details of the post-Brexit relationship between the EU and the U.K. have been rocky, as Britain’s top negotiator …

France, Italy, and Belgium acted to halt the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat patients suffering from COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, amid questions about the safety of the generic anti-malaria drug. France on Wednesday canceled a decree allowing hospital doctors to dispense the medicine, while the Italian …

Protests against the measures Chancellor Angela Merkel insists are needed to slow down the coronavirus outbreak have become more vocal and demonstrators have filled the streets of the German capital for the third weekend in a row. Police arrested about 60 protesters on Saturday as part of city-wide demonstrations against …

The Guardian and Mirror newspapers reported that Cummings, who lives in London, was seen at the property in Durham, northeast England, at the end of March. The British government faced accusations of hypocrisy on Saturday after the revelation that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s top adviser, Dominic Cummings, traveled more than …

Two French kids reportedly stumbled upon more than $100,000 worth of gold while they were in coronavirus lockdown. According to local media, the children — both around 10 years old — made the discovery when their family went to stay with an older relative in the French town of Vendome …