International

• Wednesday, April 29th 2020 - 07:40 UTC

  Spain relaxes lockdown: professional athletes can begin to train next Monday

  

  Spain's professional footballers can start training again from next week, the prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, said on Tuesday as he announced plans to relax the country’s COVID-19 lockdown and bring the country back to normality by the end of June.

• Wednesday, April 29th 2020 - 07:30 UTC

  Trump again blames China for the pandemic, and is thinking “in ways to hold Beijing accountable”

  

  US President Donald Trump said that China could have stopped the coronavirus before it swept the globe and said his administration was conducting “serious investigations” into what happened.

• Wednesday, April 29th 2020 - 07:20 UTC

  Good news from Italy: the Genoa bridge which collapsed killing 43 people has been rebuilt as a renewal symbol

  

  The final section of a new bridge in Genoa, built after a deadly 2018 motorway collapse, was slotted into place on Tuesday, providing a much-needed symbol of renewal for coronavirus-hit Italy.

• Wednesday, April 29th 2020 - 07:12 UTC

  Spanish police major catch in Galicia: four tons of cocaine and a drugs gang with a “fleet” of vessels and speedboats

  

  Spanish police said on Tuesday they had broken up an international drug-smuggling ring, seizing four tons of cocaine and arresting 28 people. The gang, which was made up of “experienced sailors and known traffickers”, was working with major national and international drug smugglers to “bring in cocaine shipments by sea”, a police statement said.

• Tuesday, April 28th 2020 - 15:35 UTC

  New research shows sustainable fishing and conservation can coexist

  

  By surfbirds (*) – Our oceans are in trouble. Globally, poor fishing practices are directly damaging to marine wildlife, and overfishing can deplete food resources for animals such as seabirds and seals. However, research by BirdLife's Marine Program, in association with scientists from the British Antarctic Survey, (BAS) and the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK), shows that under current climate conditions, sustainable fisheries can exist alongside conservation measures for seabirds and seals in a well-managed Marine Protected Area.

• Tuesday, April 28th 2020 - 08:20 UTC

  Coronavirus pandemic “far from over”, warns WHO and points to insufficient health services

  

  The coronavirus pandemic is “far from over” and is still disrupting normal health services, especially life-saving immunization for children in the poorest countries, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.

• Tuesday, April 28th 2020 - 07:17 UTC

  Trump and Putin recall 75th anniversary of the “Spirit of the Elbe”

  

  US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin issued a rare joint statement over the weekend commemorating a 1945 World War Two link-up of US and Soviet troops on their way to defeat Nazi Germany as an example of how their countries can cooperate.

• Monday, April 27th 2020 - 07:59 UTC

  Mercosur: Argentina only interested in block's negotiations with Europe

  

  In the midst of the chaotic situation caused by the pandemic, the Argentine government announced the abandonment of Mercosur negotiations to prioritize the country’s domestic economy and the struggle against the virus. The rest of the bloc members must evaluate legal, institutional, and operational measures emerging from the decision.

• Monday, April 27th 2020 - 07:35 UTC

  Boris Johnson back at Downing Street: several urgent challenging decisions awaiting

  

  Prime Minister Boris Johnson returned to his Downing Street residence on Sunday after recovering from COVID-19, ready to take the helm again with pressure growing for the government to explain how it will ease a month-old coronavirus lockdown.

• Monday, April 27th 2020 - 07:29 UTC

  Russia building 69,700-ton nuclear powered icebreakers to keep the Northern Sea Route navigable year round

  

  Russia pushes ahead with plans to ensure year-round navigation along the Northern Sea Route. The Leader-class icebreaker also referred to as LK-120Ya, will be twice as powerful as the country’s current nuclear icebreakers.