The Daily Star - Europe



Nature takes back world’s empty city streets

As humans retreat into their homes as more and more countries go under coronavirus lockdown, wild animals are slipping cover to explore the empty streets of some of our biggest cities.

Worship that set a virus time bomb in France

From the stage of an evangelical superchurch, the leader of the gospel choir kicked off an evening of prayer and preaching: “We’re going to celebrate the Lord! Are you feeling the joy tonight?”

Germany ramps up virus testing

In the race against the coronavirus, Germany is betting on widespread testing and quarantining to break the infection chain, a strategy borrowed from South Korea whose success in slowing the outbreak has become the envy of the world.

Germany to carry out 5,00,000 tests

Germany has boosted its coronavirus test rate to 500,000 a week, a virologist said yesterday, adding that early detection has been key in keeping the country’s death rate relatively low.

Alarm as US, UK teen die of coronavirus

Two healthy teens in US and UK died of coronavirus raising doubts on the narrative that the virus is not deadly for youths.

Quarantine dodgers may get 7-year-jail in Russia

Russian lawmakers have proposed imposing severe punishments -- including up to seven years in prison -- for people breaking coronavirus quarantine rules.

Social media sees virus solidarity bloom in UK

Help groups on social media are connecting people with those most in need during the coronavirus lockdown, fostering a community spirit often neglected in the capital’s fast-paced life.

Elite hackers target WHO as virus cyberattacks spike

Elite hackers tried to break into the World Health Organization earlier this month, sources told Reuters, part of what a senior agency official said was a more than two-fold increase in cyberattacks.

UK wakes up to lockdown

Britain awoke to a virtual lockdown yesterday after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered people to stay at home, shops to close and an end to all social gatherings to halt the spread of coronavirus.

Loss of smell could reveal hidden cases

From a mother unable to smell her baby’s nappy to a lawmaker who suddenly could not taste food, some coronavirus patients have described a loss of olfactory senses -- and experts say this might be a new way to detect the virus.

US can be the new virus epicenter: WHO

The COVID-19 outbreak in the United States has the potential to exceed that in Europe, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday as the number of reported US cases surges.

Security threat ‘very high’ from far right

German interior minister Horst Seehofer yesterday said that the police presence would be increased across the country to counter the “very high” security threat from the far-right, after a gunman killed nine people in a racist attack late Wednesday.

UK police rule out terror in London mosque stabbing

British police on Thursday said they were not treating as terror related a London mosque stabbing in which an elderly worshipper suffered non life-threatening injuries.

MPS back Putin’s reforms

Russian lawmakers yesterday unanimously approved a sweeping constitutional reform bill put forward by President Vladimir Putin in its first reading.