Russian President Vladimir Putin says he has formed a police reserve force to intervene in Belarus if necessary, but that point has not yet been reached. Speaking on Russian state TV, he said Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko “asked me to set up a certain police reserve” and “I have doneContinue Reading
The acutely ill Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has arrived in Germany from Siberia for treatment. He is in a coma after drinking what his supporters suspect was poisoned tea; they accuse the authorities of trying to conceal a crime. Doctors treating him in Omsk had insisted on Friday thatContinue Reading
Portugal is being added to the UK’s travel corridor list, meaning arrivals from the country will no longer have to quarantine, but Croatia, Austria and Trinidad and Tobago are being removed, it has been confirmed. As revealed earlier by the Guardian, UK government ministers including the transport secretary, Grant Shapps,Continue Reading
Italy is to shut discos and clubs for three weeks and make it compulsory to wear a mask outdoors in some areas at night after an increase in new Covid-19 cases. The new rules mark the first reimposition of coronavirus restrictions as cases pick up across the country, especially among younger people. NewContinue Reading
Thousands of people have gathered outside the state television station in Belarus demanding full coverage of protests against the disputed presidential election. Opposition supporters outside the building in Minsk held banners with signs saying “show people the truth”. Mass protests erupted after President Alexander Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory inContinue Reading
Russia has dismissed mounting international concern over the safety of its locally developed Covid-19 vaccine as “absolutely groundless”. On Tuesday, it said a vaccine had been given regulatory approval after less than two months of testing on humans. But experts were quick to raise concerns about the speed of Russia’sContinue Reading
After a third night of protests in Belarus, the interior ministry says police fired back with live bullets when they came under attack in the southwestern city of Brest. Demonstrators with metal rods targeted officers and the police opened fire in self-defence, the ministry said. Clashes were also reported inContinue Reading
How can Germany ward off a large increase in coronavirus infections? By targeting clusters, finding superspreaders and looking to Japan. That’s according to world-leading expert on coronaviruses, Christian Drosten, who recommends a change in strategy in the fight against a second large outbreak of coronavirus this autumn. Drosten, of theContinue Reading
Can Germany cope with a rising number of Covid-19 infections? That’s the question being considered across the country right now as new cases remained above 1,000 for the second day in a row. Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn said Germany was still able to cope with the higher numbers. “AtContinue Reading
Some 20,000 protesters have rallied, with many ignoring social distancing rules and labeling the pandemic a “false alarm.” A surge in cases has prompted calls for tougher measures against COVID-19 rule breakers. Despite infections soaring once again in Germany and fears of a potential second wave, tens of thousands ofContinue Reading
