EU hosts virus telethon, seeking first 7.5 bn euros

Brussels (AFP) Europe hosts a teleconference for world leaders and philanthropists Monday, seeking 7.5 billion euros to boost the drive to discover, produce and distribute a vaccine against the new coronavirus. COVID-19 has killed nearly 250,000 people around the world -- more than 140,000 of them in Europe -- and Ursula von der Leyen, head …

Woody Allen’s controversial memoirs to appear in French

Paris (AFP) Woody Allen's controversial autobiography "Apropos of Nothing" will finally be published in French in June after the first US edition was pulled and then pulped. His French publishers Stock jumped to the veteran filmmaker's defence in March when Hackett staff in New York walked out when they learned that the company was printing …

Lloris wants Premier League title settled on the pitch

Paris (AFP) Hugo Lloris believes that ending the English Premier League season without declaring Liverpool champions would be "cruel", but the Tottenham captain wants the final table decided on the field. The goalkeeper is following the English social isolation rules at home with his family in London, helping his two oldest daughters with their homework …

Iran reopens mosques as virus deaths rise by 74

Tehran (AFP) Iran on Monday reopened mosques in parts of the country deemed at low risk from the novel coronavirus as it announced another 74 deaths from the disease. Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said the new fatalities brought to 6,277 the total number officially recorded in Iran since it reported its first cases in …

Coronavirus: Germany starts to reopen, but arguments rage over pace

BERLIN (REUTERS) - Germany took a further step on the long road back to post-coronavirus normality on Monday (May 4), with museums and hairdressers reopening under strict conditions, churches opening their doors for worshippers, and more car factories resuming work. But more than a month after Germany suspended all but essential social and commercial life to …

UK publishes names of scientific emergency advisory group participants

LONDON (REUTERS) - The British government on Monday (May 4) published the names of the participants in its scientific advisory group for emergencies - the group which is helping Prime Minister Boris Johnson respond to the novel coronavirus outbreak. The 50-member list included Dr Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, Dr Neil Ferguson from Imperial …

Coronavirus: Masks handed out to commuters as Spain takes steps towards reopening

MADRID (REUTERS) - Red Cross workers handed out protective masks at Madrid's metro stations on Monday (May 4) as Spain began a four-phase plan to reopen the country by the end of June, while the 24-hour death tally from coronavirus stayed under 200 for the second day in a row. Mask usage in public transport is mandatory …

Widow of German Islamist rapper goes on trial

HAMBURG, GERMANY (AFP) - A German-Tunisian woman who married a German rapper turned Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighter and who kept a child slave in Syria went on trial on Monday (May 4). The woman, named as 35-year-old Omaima M., faces a slew of charges including membership of a foreign terror group, …

Japan extends state of emergency until May 31

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday he had decided to extend the country's national state of emergency to May 31.  Abe will consider lifting the state of emergency without waiting for its May 31 expiration if expert advisors decide that is possible based on detailed analysis of regional infection trends, he said at a …

Israel court hears challenges to coalition deal

Jerusalem (AFP) Israel's Supreme Court on Monday tackled the vexed question of whether a political deal to form a coalition government after three inconclusive elections in less than a year is actually legal. A ruling against the pact could leave the country facing a fourth poll. An Israeli protester holds a placard with a picture …

Expo 2020 Dubai postponed by one year to Oct 2021

Paris (AFP) The Expo 2020 Dubai has been postponed by a year because of the coronavirus outbreak and will now be held from October 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, the Paris-based organiser said Monday. The six-month, multibillion-dollar global innovation fair, set to be the largest such event ever staged in the Arab world, was …

Swimming world championships moved from 2021 to 2022

Paris (AFP) The next swimming world championships, scheduled for summer 2021 in Japan, have been pushed back until May 2022 following the postponement of the Olympic Games, the sport's governing body said Monday. The world championships were due to be held in Fukuoka next year from July 16-August 1 but will instead take place from …