Minister defends Germany’s limited gay therapy ban
Germany’s ban on so-called gay conversion therapies needs to be robust enough to withstand court challenges, Health Minister Jens Spahn said in response to criticism that his proposed law would not protect young adults.
In the Amazon, an indigenous nurse volunteers in coronavirus fight
Vicente Piratapuia, 69, of the Piratapuia tribe had a high fever and could hardly breathe, but he refused to leave his home on the outskirts of the Amazon rainforest’s biggest city.
France to reopen on Monday, Paris region to unwind lockdown more slowly
France is ready to start unwinding its coronavirus lockdown from next Monday as planned, the prime minister said on Thursday, although some regions including the Paris area where the disease is still circulating would keep some restrictions.
EU must go ‘back to the future’ of open borders after COVID-19, commissioner says
The European Union must go “back to the future” of open borders once the coronavirus pandemic is brought under control, a senior EU official said on Thursday, after a spate of frontier closures by member states fraying the bloc’s cohesion.
Polish parliament clears postal vote for divisive election
Poland’s lower house of parliament gave the green light on Thursday for a presidential election to be held by postal vote following a dispute over whether voting could take place during the coronavirus pandemic.
Spain steps gingerly towards normality, but Madrid and Barcelona may lag
Spain weighed up further steps on Thursday to bring life back to normal as the coronavirus epidemic ebbed, but the capital Madrid and the city of Barcelona could remain under tight restrictions for the time being.
Latest on the worldwide spread of the new coronavirus
More than 4.19 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 285,119 have died, according to a Reuters tally, as of 0503 GMT on Tuesday.
Italy impounds migrant rescue ships; charities claim harassment
Italian coastguards have impounded two charity rescue boats at the port of Palermo citing “technical and operational” irregularities, which the owners denounced as an excuse to block life-saving missions at sea.
Israeli parliament nominates Netanyahu to form new government
The Israeli parliament formally nominated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to form a new coalition government despite his upcoming trial on corruption charges, bringing him closer to a fifth term after more than a year of political stalema…
Pakistan to start easing lockdown amid sharp coronavirus spread
Pakistan will begin lifting its coronavirus lockdown on Saturday, Prime Minister Imran Khan said, hours after the country announced its highest daily increase in new cases.
