Germany Germany to commemorate 80,000 COVID-19 victims with national ceremony Chancellor Angela Merkel and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will attend a morning mass on Sunday morning before taking part in a televised ceremony. 18/04/2021
Belgium Balkan Trafik Festival celebrates 15th anniversary online The Balkan Trafik Festival is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year with a COVID-safe digital programme. 17/04/2021
Italy Italy moves toward slow reopening with outdoor dining Dining al fresco will be permitted again in Italy's lower-risk regions starting April 26. 16/04/2021
Russia Hunger-striking Navalny describes threats to force-feed him Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny says officials have threatened to force-feed him and end the hunger he started on March 31. 16/04/2021
United Kingdom 'Peaky Blinders' actress Helen McCrory dies of cancer at 52 Her husband, actor Damian Lewis, said McCrory died "peacefully at home" after a "heroic battle with cancer." 16/04/2021
The Cube New audio app Clubhouse 'has significant problems with moderation' The audio-based social network solely relies on users reporting harmful content, rather than proactively moderating content. 16/04/2021
Ireland Ireland encourages remote work to repopulate rural areas The Irish government is hoping to bank on the rise of remote work to breathe new life into rural towns and villages. 16/04/2021
Life Meet the local communities starting a renewable energy revolution Patagonia has released a documentary called 'We the power' about the community-owned energy revolution in Europe. 16/04/2021
Germany Merkel calls for uniform set of COVID restrictions across Germany "The situation is serious, very serious, and we need to take it seriously," German Chancellor Angela Merkel told lawmakers. She is trying to pass a bill that would force regions to implement a uniform set of coronavirus restrictions. 16/04/2021
Europe As Europe gives billions to airlines, is rail being left behind? While the European Commission has given the green light to billions in state aid to Air France, the rail sector says companies such as Eurostar are not seeing the same level of government support. 16/04/2021
United Kingdom UK reports 77 cases of COVID variant first detected in India Some 77 cases of a variant thought to be behind a recent surge of infections in India have been detected in the UK. 16/04/2021
