Europe

England lifts Covid curbs as scientists warn of surge in cases

by Jitendra JOSHI LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The British government on Monday lifted pandemic restrictions on daily life in England, scrapping all social distancing rules in a step slammed by scientists and opposition parties as a dangerous leap into the unknown. From midnight (2300 GMT Sunday), nighclubs reopened and other indoor venues were allowed to run at full capacity, while legal mandates covering the wearing of masks and working from home were scrapped. Prime […]

Adelaide becomes latest Australian city to lock down

ADELAIDE, Australia (AFP) — Adelaide will on Tuesday become the latest in a string of Australian cities to lock down, as the largely unvaccinated nation struggles to contain a rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak. The state of South Australia, of which Adelaide is the capital, said it would join Sydney and Melbourne in locking down after five local cases were detected. The decision means more than 14 million Australians are now under orders to stay at […]

Flood death toll rises to 165 in Germany

  BAD NEUENAHR-AHRWEILER, Germany (AFP) — The death toll from Germany’s worst floods in living memory rose to 165 on Monday as emergency services continued to comb through decimated towns in search of dozens of people still missing. A deluge of rain fell over western Germany over two days last week, sending torrents of water rushing down streets, sweeping away trees, cars and sheds, and destroying swathes of housing. Many victims have been found dead […]

England lifts Covid curbs as scientists warn of surge in cases

  by Jitendra JOSHI Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The British government on Monday lifted pandemic restrictions on daily life in England, scrapping all social distancing in a step slammed by scientists and opposition parties as a dangerous leap into the unknown. From midnight (2300 GMT Sunday), nightclubs were able to reopen and other indoor venues allowed to run at full capacity, while legal mandates covering the wearing of masks and working […]

Europe picks through rubble from deluge as death toll soars to 150

  by Jean-Philippe LACOUR with Deborah COLE in Berlin Agence France Presse Troops and firefighters scrambled through the night Saturday to find victims of the devastation left by the worst floods to hit western Europe in decades, which have already left more than 150 people dead and dozens more missing. Western Germany has suffered the most brutal impact of the deluge that also pummelled Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, leaving streets and homes submerged in […]

93 dead, hundreds missing in huge floods in Germany and Belgium

  by Christof STACHE Agence France Presse The death toll from devastating floods in Europe soared to at least 93 Friday, most of them in western Germany, where emergency responders were searching for hundreds of missing people. “I fear that we will only see the full extent of the disaster in the coming days,” Chancellor Angela Merkel said from Washington late Thursday, where she met with President Joe Biden. Catching residents of several regions unaware […]

At least 68 dead in Germany, Belgium as storms ravage Europe

by Michelle FITZPATRICK with Deborah COLE in Berlin Agence France Presse MAYEN, Germany (AFP) — Heavy rains and floods lashing western Europe have killed at least 59 people in Germany and nine in Belgium, and many more people are missing as rising waters caused several houses to collapse on Thursday. In Germany, which is experiencing one of the worst weather disasters since World War II, desperate residents sought refuge on the roofs of their homes […]

Germany storms leave at least nine dead, dozens missing

  by Deborah COLE Agence France Presse BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Heavy rains and floods lashing western Germany have killed at least nine people and left around 50 missing, as rising waters led several houses to collapse, police said on Thursday. Four of the people reported dead were in the municipality of Schuld where a number houses were swept away by floods, a police spokesman in the city of Koblenz told AFP. Rhineland-Palatinate and North […]

London mayor calls to retain face coverings on public transport

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Wednesday called for use of face coverings to remain compulsory on public transport in the British capital after government plans to relax Covid curbs begin on July 19. Under the plans passengers on Transport for London (TfL) services — which include the city’s tube, bus, tram, and rail networks — would be required to wear a face-covering after an England-wide requirement ends under plans set […]

Russia says India will produce 300 million Sputnik V doses each year

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — The developers of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine said on Tuesday a deal had been struck with Indian vaccine maker the Serum Institute to produce 300 million doses annually. “The parties intend to produce over 300 million doses of the vaccine in India per year with the first batch expected in September 2021,” the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said in a statement. Sputnik V was registered by Russia in August […]

New virus restrictions in Spain’s Catalonia, Valencia

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — The Spanish tourist regions of Catalonia and Valencia on Monday announced new measures to rein in the growing spread of coronavirus. Regional leaders in northeastern Catalonia said all public activities must finish at half past midnight, and no more than 10 people will be allowed to gather in private or public places. “The data are more than worrying, they are frankly very, very bad,” Catalonia’s public health secretary Josep Maria Argimon […]

Ryanair to hire 2,000 new pilots on Covid recovery

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Irish no-frills airline Ryanair unveiled plans Monday to hire more than 2,000 additional pilots as it navigates a recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. The pilots will fly Ryanair’s planned new fleet of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which are aimed at cutting costs, fuel consumption, noise and CO2 emissions, the Dublin-based carrier added in a statement. Ryanair had in May posted an annual net loss of 1.0 billion euros ($1.18 billion) […]