Turkey aims to reopen economy starting late May: senior official
Turkey’s government aims to begin reviving the economy in late May after a sharp slowdown due to measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak, while minimising the risk of a second wave of infections, a senior official said on Tuesday.
Bomb blast kills 40 people in Syria’s Afrin: Turkey
At least 40 civilians were killed, including 11 children, when a bomb detonated on an oil tanker in the northern Syrian town of Afrin on Tuesday, the Turkish Defence Ministry said, blaming the attack on the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia.
Protester killed as unrest rocks Lebanon’s Tripoli
Protests against growing economic hardship erupted in the Lebanese city of Tripoli on Tuesday, with banks set ablaze after a night of rioting that left one demonstrator dead, according to security and medical sources.
Coronavirus probably circulating in Yemen, U.N. says, amid funding shortage
There is a “very real probability” the new coronavirus is circulating in Yemen, the United Nations said on Tuesday, warning that an aid funding shortfall would compromise efforts to combat the virus in one of the most vulnerable countries.
Greece unveils plan to ease lockdown, hopes for tourism revival
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis unveiled on Tuesday the country’s plan to ease a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.
Italy’s prime minister defends snail-paced end to lockdown
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte defended himself on Tuesday from widespread criticism of his highly cautious plans for a slow-placed end to Europe’s longest coronavirus lockdown.
Austrian picture-postcard village, once swamped, awaits tourists’ return
A tiny Austrian lakeside village so picturesque it had to limit throngs of tourists is now longing for visitors to return to its empty lanes.
French PM says it’s time to emerge from virus lockdown
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said a lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus has saved tens of thousands of lives but that it was time to ease the restrictions to stave off economic collapse.
French PM will seek to extend state of emergency to July 23
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Tuesday he would send a bill to parliament to extend to July 23 the state of emergency that allows the government to restrict freedom of movement, business and gathering by decree.
Bomb blast in Syria’s Afrin kills at least 10: Turkish state media
A bomb detonated on an oil tanker in the northern Syrian city of Afrin and killed at least 10 people according to initial reports, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday.
