EU to draw up safe countries list as borders open to travellers
The European Union should gradually reopen its borders to non-EU travellers from July and draw up a list of countries outside the bloc for which restrictions can be removed, the European Commission said on Thursday.
UK animal shelter uses video calls to find new homes for dogs during pandemic
John Waters and his wife Lois are delighted that they have been able to overcome the restrictions of Britain’s coronavirus lockdown and adopt a new pet with the help of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in London and some videoconferencing.
Germany in close contact with Turkey over travel warning: minister
Germany is in close contact with countries outside Europe, including Turkey, over whether travel warnings in place due to the coronavirus pandemic can be lifted, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Thursday.
“Finally” say activists as Swiss same-sex marriage bill advances
Switzerland’s lower house of parliament approved draft legislation on Thursday to let same-sex couples marry in a country that has lagged other parts of western Europe in gay rights.
Citing virus, some Russian election officials shun vote to extend Putin rule
Hundreds of Russian polling station officials, citing the risk of spreading the coronavirus, say they won’t help organise a nationwide vote on reforms that could extend President Vladimir Putin’s rule until 2036.
Belarus unit of Gazprombank raided as Lukashenko cracks down on election opponents
Security officials in Belarus on Thursday raided the local unit of Russia’s Gazprombank, which until recently had been headed by one of President Alexander Lukashenko’s main rivals in a presidential election due in August.
Pandemic threatens Latin America’s once vibrant culinary scene
Fans of his uniquely Mexican take on high-end dining once packed a months-long wait list for Enrique Olvera’s Pujol but the restaurant is grappling with a tough new reality as the novel coronavirus haunts Latin America’s culinary upstarts.
Egypt to allow foreigners to return to some resorts from July 1
Egypt will allow scheduled international flights and foreign tourists to resorts that have been least affected by the coronavirus starting from July 1, the cabinet said.
Canary Islands aim to allow German tourists in with COVID-19 tests
The Canary Islands are planning to welcome thousands of German tourists later this month before Spain’s borders officially reopen, but want the visitors to be tested for the coronavirus, a source in the regional government said.
Death toll in migrant ship disaster off Tunisia rises to 46
The death toll from a ship packed with African migrants that sank off the Tunisian coast this week has risen to 46 after Tunisia recovered more bodies on Thursday, a civil protection official told Reuters.
