Protests against lengthy coronavirus-related lockdowns have spread in Europe where most people have died in the global pandemic, devastating economies and wracking lives of millions. In Germany, the continent’s largest economy, police detained dozens of protesters over the weekend for violating the strict lockdown measures they were demonstrating against.
Several European Union member states are slowly reopening their doors in lockdowns that have impacted millions of people, many of them children. The lockdowns were introduced by authorities citing concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus disease COVID-19.
Europe’s death toll from the new coronavirus COVID-19 approached 100,000 on Sunday, and over 1 million Europeans were infected, a European health agency announced.
Germany’s health minister says the month-long lockdown has brought the coronavirus outbreak in his country under control. Jens Spahn spoke while several other European Union nations struggled to contain the new virus disease COVID-19.
With much of Hungary in lockdown, a minister attended a quite ceremony to remember the 600,000 Hungarian Jews killed in the Holocaust. At a time when much attention focuses on the coronavirus pandemic, Justice Minister Judit Varga made clear those who died should never be forgotten. Dressed in black, she placed pebbles, flowers, and candles at the Shoes on the Danube embankment monument in Budapest, the capital.
Authorities in Germany say they have detained four suspected Islamic militants for plotting to attack American military facilities in the country. The four men, originally from Tajikistan — along with a fifth individual arrested last year — targeted several U.S. airforce bases on behalf of the Islamic State group, prosecutors said.
The chief of the European Union’s executive has warned the block’s elderly that they may have to stay in lockdown till 2021 due to the new coronavirus pandemic. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made the comments in a German newspaper. Her remarks further overshadowed Easter and Passover celebrations in Europe. Von der Leyen told Germany’s daily Bild that older people might have to be kept isolated until the end of the year.
U.S. tech giants Apple and Google have unveiled a plan to track down people who may have been infected by the new coronavirus, despite concerns among rights activists. Their software allows governments to roll out apps for “contact tracing” that will run on smartphones such as iPhones and Android.
European Union finance ministers agreed Thursday on a half-a-trillion euro ($550-billion) rescue package for European nations hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The chairman of the Eurogroup, Mário Centeno, confirmed the deal following marathon talks in Brussels where Italy warned the EU would collapse without financial solidarity.
A disagreement over eurozone loans on Wednesday halted European Union (EU) efforts to agree on a deal on managing the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Negotiations between European finance ministers were suspended until Thursday after 16 hours of talks brought no resolution. Yesterday’s discussions followed similar talks that were held last month, when no agreement was reached either.
Queen Elizabeth II says Britons will overcome the new coronavirus pandemic if they confront the crisis with the same resolve that carried the nation through other trials and tragedies. Invoking the spirit of World War Two, the British monarch urged Britain in televised remarks to demonstrate the determination as generations of the past.
As countries struggle to contain the new coronavirus outbreak, a global fight has emerged over dwindling medical supplies. The tensions even led to growing competition for medical goods between the United States and its traditional European allies. Take Germany. The local government in the German state and capital, Berlin, claims that 200,000 U.S.-made protective masks bound for Germany never arrived. Authorities say the shipment was ‘confiscated’ in Bangkok, Thailand.
Thirteen European Union nations say they fear that emergency measures to contain the new coronavirus pandemic could threaten “democracy and fundamental rights.” Their statement came after EU-member Hungary introduced coronavirus legislation that allows the increasingly authoritarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to rule by decree without parliamentary approval.
Around 1.5 million Israelis have downloaded a mobile app in the past week that alerts users who have crossed paths with a coronavirus patient, according to the Health Ministry, helping to improve tracking of the pandemic.
German scientists say they have identified a strain of bacteria that is feeding on polyurethanes, a plastic resistant to biodegradation.
Finance ministers fell short of agreement Tuesday night on an EU-wide strategy to fight an economic slump caused by the coronavirus.
Evangelical churches in Germany are defending Rev. Franklin Graham in the face of criticism over his biblical beliefs on sexuality.
Israel has imposed quarantine conditions on all incoming flights in a move that the Finance Ministry predicts will cost the country $1.4 billion.
The Israel Defense Forces called off a major air defense exercise with the United States on Wednesday night, a day after it launched, following stricter safety restrictions issued by the Health Ministry aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus.
The Greek military and police are clashing with refugees rushing to cross the border from Turkey as islanders to the south cope with hundreds of new arrivals.