Brexit trade talks make ‘no significant progress’ as deadline nears
European Union and British negotiators said on Friday they had made very little progress in their latest round of talks about a Brexit free trade agreement, with just weeks left to extend a year-end deadline to reach a deal.
Iraq records over 1,000 coronavirus cases for first time: ministry
Iraq recorded more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day for the first time on Friday, with its total approaching 10,000 confirmed cases, the health ministry said.
Indonesian group dreams of trash barrier idea going global
Gary Bencheghib grew up on Indonesia’s idyllic resort island of Bali and watched as plastic waste clogged up the winding waterways near to his childhood home, or found its way out into the ocean.
Irish PM says people should not book foreign holidays yet
Ireland’s prime minister on Friday advised citizens not to book foreign holidays and said the government had no date in mind yet to end its 14-day quarantine for people arriving from abroad.
Poland to open borders with Baltic states next week, Lithuania says
Poland and the Baltic states will open their borders to each other next week in an easing of coronavirus travel restrictions, Lithuanian Prime Minister said on Friday after a video conference with his Polish counterpart.
Spain to further ease restrictions, won’t rush on border opening
Spain will further ease a coronavirus lockdown in its two main cities from Monday, but will not start opening its borders to foreign tourists before July 1 while it seeks a common European stance on safe travel, the government said on Friday.
Zimbabwe police arrest opposition officials in dispute over party HQ
Zimbabwe’s police arrested five senior officials of the main opposition party on Friday after they attempted to enter the party’s Harare headquarters, which is being occupied by a rival faction.
Nigerian campaigners stage protest over sexual violence
Nigerian rights campaigners took to the streets of the capital Abuja on Friday to raise awareness about sexual violence in the West African country after a series of high-profile rape cases.
Finland’s finance minister steps down over training payments
Katri Kulmuni will step down as Finland’s finance minister but continue to lead her party after admitting on Friday that she had used taxpayers’ money to fund training on how to speak in public.
South Africa’s COVID-19 cases rise and president worries about Cape Town region
Even as South Africa eases its coronavirus lockdown, infection numbers have started to rise quickly and President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday he was particularly concerned about the province around Cape Town.
