The European Union has agreed to extend punishing sanctions against Russia over the conflict in Ukraine by six months, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday. The sanctions, which target whole sectors of the Russian economy including its valuable oil businesses, were due to expire this...

 Britain's opposition Labour Party faces "a mountain to climb" to win power after hemorrhaging support to the governing Conservatives over its leadership, Brexit and manifesto at the last election, a review said Friday. The review, led by Labour First which describes itself as bringing...

European Union leaders began the process of approving an unprecedented stimulus package for their coronavirus-ravaged economies on Friday, aware of the need to deliver help quickly, but still divided over its final size and terms. The 27 national heads of state started a video conference at...

Spain on Thursday presented an aid package worth more than 4.2 billion euros ($4.7 billion) for the crucial tourism sector, including a campaign to promote the country as a "safe" destination after the coronavirus devastation. The plan comes ahead of Sunday's planned re-opening of Spanish...

Russia on Thursday confirmed 7,790 new coronavirus cases, raising the total number of infections to 561,091. The death toll in the country rose to 7,660, as 182 more people lost their lives due to the virus, the country's emergency team said in a daily report. Recoveries increased by...

French police on Thursday detained six members of the Chechen community on suspicion of taking part in successive nights of violence that rocked the eastern city of Dijon, prosecutors said. From Friday to Monday, Dijon was rocked by clashes and vehicle burnings after an assault this month...

The Eiffel Tower is preparing to welcome back visitors after the Covid-19 lockdown, but they will need to be fit: Because of lingering concerns about infection, the elevators will initially be off-limits. Workers at the Parisian landmark, which looms 324 metres (1,062 feet) over the French...

The car carrying British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was crashed into from behind in central London on Wednesday after taking evasive action when a pro-Kurdish demonstrator ran on to the road. The protester was stopped and detained, according to an AFP journalist on the scene, after he ran...

Russian President Vladimir Putin is protected from the coronavirus by special disinfection tunnels that anyone visiting his residence outside Moscow or meeting him in the Kremlin must pass through, his spokesman said Wednesday. One such special tunnel, manufactured by a Russian company...

London's West End has traditionally drawn people from all over the world to see its shows but theatres have been forced to reinvent themselves because of the coronavirus outbreak. Fifteen million tickets are sold each year for performances including top attractions such as "The Phantom of...

 Thousands demonstrated in Berlin against racism and for broader fairness, including sharing the coronavirus burden, as they stretched a human chain through the German capital Sunday while keeping safe distances. Although the German Weather Service (DWD) issued a storm warning for a...

Russia will soon be in a position to counter hypersonic arms deployed by other countries, President Vladimir Putin said Sunday, adding that Moscow was ahead of the United States in developing new types of weapons. Hypersonic glide vehicles can steer an unpredictable course and manoeuvre...

French President Emmanuel Macron will give a televised national address on Sunday night, his fourth since the start of the coronavirus crisis, seeking fresh momentum for the final two years of his term. Macron has seen his poll ratings slide amid criticism of his government’s handling of...

French President Emmanuel Macron does not plan to step down to prompt a fresh election, a move he reportedly told top party donors he was considering, his office said Thursday. The Figaro newspaper said Macron had made the shock announcement while speaking via videoconference to a handful...

Queen Elizabeth II has kept up with technology throughout her reign, and on Thursday made her debut on a digital platform that has become ubiquitous during the coronavirus outbreak -- the video conference call. The 94-year-old monarch logged in from Windsor Castle, where she has been...

The European Human Rights Court (EHCR) ruled Thursday that a French criminal conviction against activists involved in a campaign to boycott products imported from Israel had no sufficient grounds and violated their freedom of expression. France's highest appeals' court in 2015 upheld...

The European Parliament will Friday urge Britain "to urgently revise its negotiating position" to avoid a breakdown in post-Brexit trade talks, according to a draft resolution seen by AFP. The draft says London must agree that future UK-EU ties be governed by "a single, comprehensive and...

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday defended what he called Britain's "astonishing" efforts to tackle coronavirus, rejecting accusations that with Europe's worst death toll, his government has nothing to be proud of. More than 40,000 people are confirmed to have died from COVID-19 in...

Europe's most powerful countries urged the European Union to better prepare for the next pandemic after chaotic responses to the coronavirus, as Moscow emerged from lockdown despite Russia still being in the grip of a surging epidemic. There should be a "common European approach" to...

Wearing face masks will be compulsory in Spain until a coronavirus vaccine is found, with police empowered to hand out fines for non-compliance, the government said on Tuesday. Health Minister Salvador Illa said the measure would continue after the country's state of emergency ends on June...