Hungary eases coronavirus restrictions outside Budapest
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Wednesday lifted some restrictions outside Budapest imposed to contain the coronavirus outbreak, saying shops and restaurant terraces will be allowed to reopen without time limits.
Saudi Arabia allows entry to and exit from Qatif province
Saudi Arabia will allow entry into and exit from Qatif province starting Thursday, the state news agency reported on Wednesday citing a source within the interior ministry.
Brazil’s Bolsonaro withdraws name of family friend as top cop
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday withdrew the name of a family friend he had picked to run the federal police, after a Supreme Court justice blocked an appointment that opponents said would allow him inappropriate influence over law enf…
Finland to reopen schools and daycares gradually starting May 14
Finland will reopen schools and daycare centres after May 13, having kept them mostly closed since March 18 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the government said on Wednesday.
UK envoy in Washington backs probe into origins of pandemic, WHO reforms
Britain’s ambassador to the United States on Wednesday backed calls for an investigation into the origins of the novel coronavirus and the response of the World Health Organization, but said the first priority should be containing the outbreak.
Crime crumbles in coronavirus hit Italy, but loan-sharking jumps
Italy’s crime rate slumped 66.6% in March, thanks to a government lockdown introduced to halt the coronavirus, the interior ministry said on Wednesday.
Cyprus announces partial easing of lockdown from May 4
Cyprus will begin easing its tight coronavirus lockdown by allowing some businesses to reopen beginning on May 4, with restrictions on movement to be lifted on May 21, President Nicos Anastasiades said on Wednesday.
Riot rocks coronavirus-hit prison in Sierra Leone
Smoke billowed from the central prison in Sierra Leone’s capital and gunfire could be heard from nearby streets on Wednesday after a riot broke out, a Reuters reporter said.
UK to be ‘extremely careful’ in relaxing rules on outdoor activities
The British government will think very carefully about relaxing lockdown rules regarding open-air activities, despite evidence that transmission of the coronavirus is less likely outdoors, England’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam said.
France coronavirus death toll climbs above 24,000
The number of people who have died from coronavirus infection in France rose by 427 to 24,087 on Wednesday, while hospitalizations for the disease and people in ICU units continued to decline, the health ministry said in a statement.
