Italy, Spain show signs of hope, France death toll slows

Saudi Arabia and Russia are close to a deal on oil output cuts to reduce a global glut, a top Russian oil negotiator said on Monday, but details such as how to share out production curbs remained unclear ahead of talks planned for later this week.

Austria is planning to start returning to normality, but it will be done slowly. “There will be a step-by-step reopening,” Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told a news conference on Monday, adding that the fact Austria had acted faster than many other countries meant it was now in a position to start reopening sooner. As of next week shops will start reopening in an initial loosening of coronavirus lockdown. According to Kurz, the country was turning a corner.

The novel coronavirus has put global trade on hold, placed half of the world population in confinement and has the potential to topple governments and reshape diplomatic relations. The UN has appealed for ceasefires in all the major conflicts rocking the planet, with its chief Antonio Guterres on Friday warning "the worst is yet to come". 

In attempt to tackle the coronavirus spread Sweden’s government announced on Monday it will seek wider executive powers, including the right to shut airports and railway stations without parliament’s approval, news wires reported. So far the country has taken very few restrictive measures, and unlike most of Europe, Swedes can still go to parks and eat at restaurants, while primary and secondary schools remain open.

If we don't give our law enforcement and judicial authorities appropriate tools at hand to fight terrorism and serious and organised crime that is being carried out online, they go dark and there is impunity for crimes. They risk to be blind while many of the crimes are either planned or conducted online, says EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Gilles de Kerchove in an interview to Europost.

The Czech Republic reported on Monday its slowest daily percentage rise in confirmed coronavirus cases, as the country entered fourth week of restrictions on business and movement, news wires reported. The country had 4,591 cases as of Sunday midnight, up 2.6% from the previous day or 115, the Health Ministry said on its website. This was the lowest percentage increase since early March when the country had a handful of known infections.

The oligarchs are putting to work their entire arsenal of weapons to pressure the state into easing the measures taken against the spread of the new coronavirus. To that end, the leaders of the behind-the-scenes clique in Bulgaria have called on the services of a small army of paid mouthpieces tasked with convincing society that the crackdown on movement of people is unnecessary and that efforts should be focused primarily on saving the economy. The reason behind this concerted attack is the behind-the-scenes clique’s desire to save its businesses, built on our money, putting our health at risk in the process.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says there has been “a horrifying global surge in domestic violence” in recent weeks as fear of the coronavirus pandemic has grown along with its social and economic consequences.

Quibi, the multi-billion-dollar streaming platform launching Monday, is betting it can shift the entertainment landscape with short, Hollywood-quality clips to watch "on the go" - even as much of the world is trapped at home.

A second migrant camp in Greece was on Sunday put under quarantine after a resident tested positive for coronavirus. It comes three days after a similar facility, where 23 asylum seekers were found to be infected, was quarantined. In the latest case, a 53-year-old Afghan man staying at Malakasa camp along with hundreds of other people was confirmed to have the virus.