In a surprising turn of events, the coronavirus death toll in France again took a sharp tick upwards on the second day of relaxed measures known as deconfinement, said the Health Ministry.  On Tuesday there were 359 fatalities, and also a steep rise in cases of 96 over Monday. Deaths...

Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and was receiving treatment at hospital, Russian news agencies reported. "Yes, I am sick. I am receiving treatment," Peskov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news...

French prosecutors said Monday they are opening a probe against ex-president Valery Giscard d'Estaing over allegations by a German journalist that he sexually assaulted her after an interview in 2018. The investigation follows claims by reporter Ann-Kathrin Stracke that Giscard d'Estaing,...

President Vladimir Putin said that Russia would start gradually easing coronavirus-related lockdown measures from Tuesday, but that individual regions would need to tailor their approach to varying local conditions. In a televised address on Monday, Putin also announced new welfare payments...

The British government performed an about-face on masks Monday, telling people to cover their mouth and nose in shops, buses and subway trains. The change came as part of a plan to gradually lift a nationwide lockdown imposed seven weeks ago to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. In a...

France tiptoed out of one of Europe's strictest coronavirus lockdowns Monday, allowing non-essential shops, factories and other businesses to reopen for the first time in eight weeks as the risks of a second wave of infections loomed large. With the world's fifth highest official death...

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has raised the spectre of legal action against Germany after the country's highest court issued harsh criticism of the bloc's top court. The unprecedented spat threatens to undermine the authority of the European Court of Justice, giving...

France on Sunday reported 70 more deaths from the coronavirus over the last 24 hours, its lowest daily toll in recent weeks just ahead of the first easing of an almost two-month lockdown. The new deaths brought the total toll in hospitals and nursing homes from the pandemic in France to...

Taking a different tack than most other nations, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to extend the bulk of the country’s coronavirus lockdown restrictions for three weeks or so when he speaks to the nation Sunday evening. Following a week of mixed messages that started with...

The Italian government has tightened up conditions for the release of mafia mobsters from jail due to coronavirus fears after an outcry over the scheme meant to protect them against infection. A decree adopted overnight Sunday now requires that any release be reviewed every two weeks to...

Spanish police have arrested a Moroccan man in Barcelona with suspected links to Daesh (ISIS) who they believe was planning a militant attack. The Guardia Civil force said it had arrested the man, described as deeply radicalized, after a joint investigation with security forces in Morocco...

A continent devastated by the coronavirus will mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe Friday, as the economic destruction of the current global crisis was laid bare. Large-scale parades that had been envisaged to commemorate victory over the Nazis have been downsized...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told senior ministers on Thursday the government would adopt "maximum caution" as he prepared to outline how lockdown measures imposed to combat the coronavirus outbreak could be eased. Johnson will address the nation Sunday evening to set out a...

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that international rivalry on global markets was rising because of a fall in demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “Against the backdrop of falling global demand, the struggle for international markets for deliveries of fuel and raw...

Spain's parliament on Wednesday voted to extend the country's state of emergency, allowing stringent coronavirus lockdown measures to remain in place for at least two more weeks. The government imposed a nation-wide lockdown nearly eight weeks ago to curb the outbreak, which has killed more...

The European Union predicted Wednesday "a recession of historic proportions this year" due to the impact of the coronavirus as it released its first official estimates of the damage the pandemic is inflicting on the bloc’s economy. The 27-nation EU economy is predicted to contract by 7.5%...

Germany will take new steps towards normalisation in May, including reopening shops and schools after weeks of shutdown imposed to control the spread of the coronavirus, according to a draft agreement seen by AFP Wednesday. "Even after initial steps to open up were introduced from April 20,...

Britain has overtaken Italy to report the highest official death toll from coronavirus in Europe with more than 32,000 deaths, figures released on Tuesday showed. The high death toll could increase political pressure on Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who waited longer than other European...

France's labour ministry on Monday refused a request by Amazon for emergency funds to pay its employees during the coronavirus crisis, after the retail giant shut its warehouses over a French court ruling ordering the company to deliver only essential goods until its health protocols were...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out his plan to ease a nationwide coronavirus lockdown next Sunday, media reports said, as new guidance emerged on how to maintain social distancing in workplaces. Stay-at-home orders imposed in late March are up for review on Thursday in...