Brussels, Belgium | AFP | EU leaders are set to haggle on Thursday over a giant package to help their economies recover from the coronavirus pandemic, but bitter divisions mean little progress is expected. The situation facing the EU is dire: more than 110,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths and an economy set …
Read More »Italian PM to unveil reopening plan
Rome, Italy | AFP | Italy’s Prime Minister said on Tuesday that by the weekend he would reveal the steps the country will take to loosen restrictions, reopen the economy and emerge from the coronavirus crisis. Italy, which has reported more coronavirus deaths than any other European country, has been under …
Read More »No morning coffee at the local bar for Italians under new controls
Rome, Italy | AFP | It’s not easy being Italian these days. Especially without coffee. For Alessandro, a 30-something businessman in suit and mask in central Rome, an espresso at the local bar in the morning is “indispensable”. But on Thursday, after the government’s latest measures to stem the rise of …
Read More »Italy shuts stores across country to fight virus
Rome, Italy | AFP | Italy on Wednesday shut all stores except for pharmacies and food shops in a desperate bid to halt the spread of a coronavirus that has killed 827 in the the country in just over two weeks. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the latest wave of restrictions …
Read More »Italy locks down as China signals major progress in own virus fight
Rome, Italy | AFP | Italy imposed unprecedented national restrictions on its 60 million people Tuesday to control the deadly coronavirus, as China signalled major progress in its own battle against the global epidemic. The outbreak, combined with a crash in oil prices, has caused carnage on financial markets, erasing billions …
Read More »Quarter of Italian population put under virus lockdown
Rome, Italy | AFP | More than 15 million people were placed under forced quarantine in northern Italy early Sunday as the government approved drastic measures in an attempt to halt the spread of the deadly coronavirus that is sweeping the globe. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Twitter he had …
Read More »Inter Milan game among three postponed over coronavirus in Italy
Rome, Italy | AFP | Title-chasing Inter Milan’s clash against Sampdoria on Sunday was one of three Serie A football matches postponed over coronavirus fears in northern Italy. Atalanta against Sassuolo and Hellas Verona versus Cagliari in the top flight were also pushed back to avoid the spread of the virus …
Read More »Niger migrant hub goes from boom to bust as new measures bite
Agadez, Niger | AFP | Demand for plastic jerry cans has nosedived in the Niger town of Agadez, and Issa Abdou is unhappy. “The market is dead,” he said. “There are no more migrants passing through.” Once a fabled stop on medieval trading routes across the Sahara, Agadez blossomed half a …
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