Sex workers’ hands tied under virus lockdowns
Across Europe, the coronavirus pandemic has forced many sex workers to rely on hardship funds and online platforms to make ends meet with many worried about the future after lockdowns are lifted
Montenegro woos tourists to Europe’s ‘corona-free’ corner
Less than two months after detecting its first infection, Montenegro is the first European country to declare itself coronavirus-free, a pronouncement it hopes will lure tourists to its Adriatic coast
In Spain, food aid queues grow as poverty outpaces 2008 crisis
Accepting food handouts has become reality for thousands in Spain where poverty has soared during the pandemic, echoing the 2008 crisis from which many have barely recovered
Virus takes toll on mental health of Europe’s medics
Health experts in countries worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic are warning of a psychological crisis among medical staff brought on by dealing with high levels of serious illness and death
Battle ahead for EU’s 750-bn-euro recovery plan
European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen has proposed a 750-billion-euro post-virus recovery fund for Europe and urged sceptical member states to back it.
In the absence of tourists, locals reclaim their cities
The coronavirus lockdowns may not have been universally popular but they have alleviated some of the ills associated with tourism such as the overcrowding of city centres and rent rises
European pools and gyms slowly reopen but seniors wary
European gyms and pools have begun reopening as the coronavirus lockdown eases in Germany, Iceland, Italy and Spain, but some elderly patrons remain wary of taking the plunge
EU envoy lobbies frugal Austria for generosity towards South
Austria, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands are opposed to the Franco-German initiative of EU grants to reboost the economy.
Belgium’s new profession, the Virus Tracker
With Belgian leaders still debating how to set-up and deploy a coronavirus tracing smartphone app, authorities have set up old-fashioned call centres to interview the infected
Coronavirus infections top 5 million worldwide
Global infections from the novel coronavirus have surpassed five million as the pandemic plays out unevenly across the planet