Euobserver.com

Several European countries are now warning citizens not to visit Spain, after an increase in Covid-19 cases this month. However, Spanish foreign minister Arancha González Laya has insisted that Spain is still "a safe country".

Italy is experiencing a surge of 'nuovi poveri' [the new poor]; people who managed - barely - to make ends meet before the pandemic, and now find themselves in a very difficult situation.

Several businesses around Naples have been hit with €1,000 fines as they were responsible "during a commercial transaction" for customers and clients who did not wear a mask in an enclosed space, France24 reported. Besides the fines, businesses could be forced to close for a period between five to 30 days. France will also introduce fines of €135 for people who do not wear a mask in public spaces indoors.

Poland's state-owned coal-mining firm, Polska Grupa Górnicza (PGG), is to announce sweeping mine closures following talks with trade unions on Tuesday, industry sources told the Reuters news agency. Reductions in output could be in the 10 percent to 50 percent range, amid ideas to phase out coal power in the Silesia region entirely by 2036, the two sources said. Poland produces 80 percent of its electricity from the CO2-pollluting source.

Poland might uphold a treaty against domestic violence after all, following an outcry by the EU and Council of Europe, its ruling party has said.

Bundesbank president Jens Weidmann has questioned the landmark agreement on the EU's €750bn recovery package reached by EU leaders last week - calling for control mechanisms that can ensure funds "are used sensibly and efficiently," DW reported. "I consider joint debt for wide-ranging transfers to be fundamentally dubious," Weidmann said in an interview published Sunday. Weidmann also said the EU still needs to show its ability to respond in crisis.

French far-right protesters, from the Normandy branch of Generation Identity, on Saturday held a racist protest outside the office of black politician Sira Sylla, holding banners that read "help the French, not the Africans," BBC reported. The signs reference a proposal for the reduction in fees on money transfers to African countries. Responding to the protests, Sylla tweeted that she is determined to continue working for African-French relations.

Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that his country's navy would be armed with hypersonic nuclear-strike weapons and underwater nuclear drones, Reuters writes. "The widespread deployment of advanced digital technologies that have no equals in the world, including hypersonic strike systems and underwater drones, will give the fleet unique advantages and increased combat capabilities," Putin said, adding that the navy would get 40 new vessels this year.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control decided over the weekend to turn Belgium to 'Code Orange' for the coronavirus, after a surge of new infections in several regions across the country. The incidence for the whole of Belgium is now at 21.2 positive cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the previous 14 days. This follows the decision of the Belgian government to make face masks mandatory from Saturday.

Ukraine's military officials said on Sunday that their troops "have begun preparations" for the latest ceasefire between government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, due to start on Monday, DW reported. This follows an agreement reached by Ukrainian, Russian and OSCE negotiators last week. Moscow occupied Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014 and backed the rebellion in the east.

The UK's government has decided to reimpose a two-week quarantine on all travellers arriving from Spain after a surge of coronavirus cases in the Spanish regions of Catalonia and Aragón. The quarantine requirement took effect from midnight on Saturday, but failure to comply could result in fines of up to €1,000. The UK also changed its travel recommendations and now recommends avoiding any non-essential trips to Spain.

The Turkish president's decision to restart Islamic worship services in Istanbul's Hagia Sophia last Friday is not innocent. So how should we react? By doing the opposite - and make Cordoba's famous Mosque/Cathedral in Cordoba a museum.

The Turkish president's decision to restart Islamic worship services in Istanbul's Hagia Sophia last Friday is not innocent. So how should we react? By doing the opposite - and make Cordoba's famous Mosque/Cathedral in Cordoba a museum.

The European Commission new security strategy especially focusses on critical infrastructures, cybersecurity, terrorism, child abuse and drugs. A joint cyber unit and stronger mandate for Europol is planned.

With no non-white commissioners, just how well-equipped is the EU Commission to tackle race?

To compete for the global pool of talent, the EU has to bring Juncker's Blue Card Directive back to life.

Poland's opposition party Civic Platform on Thursday said they will be seeking a re-run in an presidential election they lost 49 percent to 51 percent against nationalist incumbent Andrzej Duda. Civic Platform's spokesperson Jan Grabiec claims government electoral wrongdoing, telling Reuters it was "comparable to campaigning in Belarus and Russia." They party petitioned the Supreme Court to declare the election result unfair and to hold a re-run.

Spain reported 971 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday - a record since the lifting of restrictions in May, El País reported. The infection rate has tripled during the last two weeks, and some experts refer to the surge in cases as the beginning of the second wave. Health care workers are calling on the government to strengthen primary health care. The most affected regions are Catalonia and Aragon.

Bulgarian prime minister Boyko Borissov on Thursday replaced his finance minister Vladislav Goranov, economy minister Emil Karanikolov and interior minister Mladen Marinov to appease a wave of anti-corruption protests taking place across Bulgaria, Reuters reported. Borissov's tourism minister is also quitting. Parliament is expected to vote on the nominations on Friday. Thursday marked the fifteenth day of protests, which are calling for the resignation of the whole cabinet.

Croatia's parliament on Thursday voted in a new government under the former prime minister Andrej Plenkovic, head of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). The new coalition government consists of the HDZ, two liberal formations and eight national minority MPs, BalkansInsight reported. When presenting his new cabinet, Plenkovic promised to ensure social security, increase minimum wages and pensions, reduce the number of local officials and increase agricultural production.