Euobserver.com

Germany saw a record daily increase in new coronavirus cases on Thursday, reporting 6,638 new infections, according to the Robert Koch Institute, the agency responsible for disease control and prevention, Deutsche Welle writes. This is the highest number in Germany since the start of the pandemic. The federal and state governments have agreed on "considerable restrictions" on contact between citizens and on the wearing of face masks.

Russia is waging a disinformation attack on Oxford University and Astrazeneca's coronavirus vaccine, according to an investigation by British newspaper The Times. Russia's flagship Vesti News programme called it a "monkey vaccine". "Russia and middlemen are now seeking to 'seed' ... pictures, memes, and video clips" on social media, saying the vaccine turns people into monkeys because it uses a Chimpanzee virus. Russia has a competing vaccine called Sputnik V.

EU leaders agreed on Thursday evening to increase the EU's climate ambition for the next decade "collectively". Roughly half of EU countries support a 55-percent emission-reduction target, but now aim to adopt a specific target in December.

After their discussions on Brexit, where phones were not allowed in the meeting room, EU leaders called on the Commission to draw up contingency measures in case there is no deal.

While the EU's enlargement progress reports have moved closer to capturing the problems of the region, they are still lagging behind in capturing the decline of democracy and rule of law in most of the region.

The European Commission urged member states to scale up efforts to flatten the curve of the second wave of Covid-19 and recommended common measures for the roll-out of potential vaccines.

Honduran environmental rights defender Arnold Joaquín Morazan was killed in his home on Tuesday, a few days after his fellow activists were shortlisted for the European Parliament's Sakharov prize for freedom of thought.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday left the European summit and went into quarantine after being in contact with a person who tested positive to Covid-19. "I have just been informed that a member of my front office has tested positive to Covid-19 this morning. As a precaution, I am immediately leaving the European Council to go into self-isolation," she tweeted.

The European Parliament on Thursday cancelled next week's plenary session in Strasbourg. "I regretfully announce that next week's plenary will not take place in Strasbourg, but will be held remotely," parliament president David Sassoli tweeted, adding that the situation in France and Belgium is "very serious and travelling is not advised". The parliament cancelled its previous sessions in September and early October because the region was considered a red zone.

The EU has confirmed plans to help Mozambique fight Islamist rebels, with its delegation in Maputo saying Wednesday it will give "logistics for training and technical training in several and specific areas, as well as assistance in addressing humanitarian challenges, including medical services" dealing with coronavirus. The EU training of Mozambique's military will mark the first international intervention in the three-year old conflict in the Cabo Delgado region.

A Greek court on Wednesday sentenced the leader of the neo-Nazi group Golden Dawn, Nikos Michaloliakos, to a 13-year jail term for running a criminal organisation under the guise of a political party, Deutsche Welle reports. Six other former senior Golden Dawn members were sentenced to between 10 and 13 years on similar charges. Golden Dawn has been blamed for organising violent attacks targeting immigrants and left-wing activists.

About 55 percent of Scottish people would vote for independence if a second referendum was held now, according to a new poll by Ipsos Mori. The Yes and No votes were more or less equal in March, but the Yes option has steadily grown in popularity since then, taking the lead in 10 subsequent surveys. The first referendum, in 2014, saw 55 percent vote to stay in Britain.

EU and UK negotiators are working on stop-gap arrangements to let planes keep flying between the UK and EU after 1 January in case of no Brexit deal to cover aviation rules. "We expect the EU to bring forward contingency measures, as they've done before, to ensure flights will continue if negotiations are unsuccessful. Of course, we would look to reciprocate that," UK transport minister Grant Shapps said Wednesday.

French finance minister Bruno Le Maire said on Wednesday the European Union should push its strategy for a bloc-wide digital tax, in case negotiations at the OECD level to rewrite international tax rules fail, Reuters reported. "We think that Europe should set the example," Le Maire said after an online meeting in which G20 leaders gave support to continuing the OECD talks until summer 2021.

The Catalan government on Wednesday decided to close all bars and restaurants in the region in a bid to curb Covid-19 infections, El País reported. The 14-day cumulative number of cases in in the Spanish region increased to 290 per 100,000 inhabitants - a figure not seen since April. The Czech Republic, the Netherlands, France and Belgium have introduced similar measures in some regions.

Arnold Joaquín Morazán Erazo was reportedly killed in Honduras on Tuesday in what appears to be a murder, according to local media. Morazán Erazo belonged to the Guapinol environmental group, whose imprisoned activists were recently shortlisted for the EU's Sakharov Prize.

The European Commission unveiled the EU's "renovation wave", aimed at doubling the renovation rate of existing buildings in the decade, and creating five new 'European Bauhaus' hubs across the EU, where architects and engineers can collaborate on green projects.

EU leaders, gathering in person in Brussels despite increasing Covid-19 fears, will urge London to make a move in the tortuous negotiations on a post-Brexit trade deal. They will also talks about climate, Covid and the budget.

EU countries have blacklisted six Russians and one entity over a chemical weapon attack, in what could prompt a high-level backlash.

The new European Commission strategy on slashing methane emissions focuses first on obtaining better data. Critics say it is a missed opportunity to impose targets and other binding measures on agriculture, the largest single emitter.