Author: Alan Lorenz

Transavia Will Continue to Issue Vouchers for the Time Being
13May By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Business, News

Transavia Will Continue to Issue Vouchers for the Time Being

Airline Transavia does not change the compensation policy for cancelled trips for the time being. The Air France-KLM subsidiary will continue to issue duped travellers with vouchers, a spokeswoman said.   The European Commission ruled on Wednesday that, despite the corona crisis, airlines should repay travellers if they are not satisfied with vouchers. Airlines have barely been able to operate flights since the mid-March due to the pandemic, which means that they are now running out of cash. “We are disappointed that the European Commission is not looking at the broad perspective. We are forced by the situation to deviate, ”said the spokeswoman. She adds that recipients of a "corona voucher" can still request a refund after one year. With the "broad perspective", Transavia also ...
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Italy: Dozens Of Arrests In A Major Action Against Cosa Nostra
12May By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Italy, Europe, News

Italy: Dozens Of Arrests In A Major Action Against Cosa Nostra

The Italian authorities have arrested 91 suspects in a major campaign against Mafia clans by Cosa Nostra. About 500 officials in Sicily and eight other regions were involved in the raids led by the judiciary in Palermo. The financial police report this Tuesday.   The Cosa Nostra is mainly active on the island of Sicily. According to media reports, the raids mainly targeted the two known clans Acquasanta and Arenella. Among those arrested were bosses and other figureheads from the criminal environment, Corriere Della Sera newspaper writes. They are suspected of money laundering, drug trafficking, illegal gambling and racketeering. According to the newspaper, the authorities assume that clans originally from Palermo have also moved their businesses to Milan and other northern Itali...
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The Number of Corona Infections is Rising Sharply in Russia
11May By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Russia, News

The Number of Corona Infections is Rising Sharply in Russia

The number of corona infections is rising sharply in Russia. A new daily record has been set with 11,656 cases, Russian media report.   It is the fastest increase worldwide, after the United States, according to The Moscow Times. 221,344 cases have now been registered. This makes Russia the country with the most infections after the US and Spain. In terms of reported deaths, Russia is not among the worst affected countries. There are so far 2009, about 14 per 1 million inhabitants.
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Hong Kong MPs Clash With One Another
8May By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Hong Kong, China, News

Hong Kong MPs Clash With One Another

Pro-China MPs and pro-Democratic members of the Hong Kong Parliament clashed on Friday.   The brawl is a sign that political tensions are re-emerging in the former British Crown Colony, now an autonomous part of China, after curbing the coronavirus outbreak. The brawl between members of the so-called Hong Kong Legislative Council followed an argument over the appointment of the chairman of an important committee. MEPs shouted at each other and pushed each other during the session. Some pro-China MPs also fisted with security to escort one of them out. Beijing has accused Hong Kong's pro-democratic elected representatives of "malicious" delaying techniques that would prevent them from voting on proposals.
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Prime Minister Johnson is Back in Parliament and Promises to Relax
6May By Alan LorenzNo Comments
UK, News

Prime Minister Johnson is Back in Parliament and Promises to Relax

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has returned to parliament for the first time since his contamination with the new coronavirus and promises cautious relaxation of anti-coronary measures.   Johnson said the death rate in the country is appalling, but he believes he can start a cautious easing of the restrictive measures from Monday, British media report. He comes with more details on Sunday and then unfolds the continuation of the strategy against the dreaded virus. First, "scientific data" on the spread of the virus will be further examined. According to the Conservative Prime Minister, the government must fight the disease and get the economy going again. An important part, he says, is to nearly double the number of tests to 200,000 a day by the end of this month. The last ...
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French President: Nothing Sure About Summer Holidays Yet
5May By Alan LorenzNo Comments
France, Europe, News

French President: Nothing Sure About Summer Holidays Yet

It is too early to say whether there will be holidays in France next summer. That should become clear in early June, French President Macron said on French television.   After the "extremely cautious" relaxation of the corona measures on May 11, the French will still have to take into account controls and restrictions on long journeys, Macron said. The rules for this will be laid down on Thursday. But according to Macron, it is already clear that during the summer holidays large international trips will hardly be possible. It all depends on the coronavirus containment progress. "We didn't win the fight against the virus. It's still there, we slowed it down," said Macron.
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Deputy Prime Minister Wants to End Idiosyncratic Merkel Policy
4May By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Germany, Europe, News

Deputy Prime Minister Wants to End Idiosyncratic Merkel Policy

The Deputy Prime Minister of the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Joachim Stamp, has accused Chancellor Angela Merkel of dictating corona policy as a monarch.   He anticipates Merkel's Wednesday meeting with the sixteen state prime ministers, where policies against the coronavirus are outlined as usual. Merkel is increasingly under fire for its resistance to rapid relaxation of the restrictive measures. For example, Stamp threatens to open the daycare centres in NRW itself if no decisions are made on Wednesday in Berlin. "We can't be kept on the leash for another week and we'll go our own way." He thinks that the federal states should decide for themselves how they should take measures or relax them because the virus has managed in different ways in the federal sta...
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Residents of India Have to Stay Inside Longer Because of Coronavirus
1May By Alan LorenzNo Comments
India, Asia, News

Residents of India Have to Stay Inside Longer Because of Coronavirus

The approximately 1.3 billion inhabitants of India will have to stay inside for at least two more weeks after May 4 because of the corona crisis. However, the measures are being relaxed here and there.   The Indian Interior Ministry announced on Friday that the lockdown would be extended by two weeks. Travelling between the states will, therefore, remain prohibited for the time being. Restrictions are eased in areas where no new infections are reported. This is mainly intended to get the economy going again. The country was locked on March 25 when just over 600 infections had been diagnosed, and 10 patients had succumbed. There are now officially 35,000 infections with more than 1,000 deaths.
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More Than A Million People are Cured of Coronavirus
30Apr By Alan LorenzNo Comments
News

More Than A Million People are Cured of Coronavirus

More than a million people worldwide have now been cured of coronavirus infection.   The number of people who have recovered is currently less than a third of the total number of infections found. According to the site counts, this is more than 3.2 million. The number of fatalities has risen to more than 228,000.
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Hong Kong Activist Edward Leung (28) Has to Go to Jail for Six Years
29Apr By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Hong Kong, China, News

Hong Kong Activist Edward Leung (28) Has to Go to Jail for Six Years

Hong Kong activist Edward Leung (28) has to go to jail for six years. Leung had appealed a prison sentence but to no avail.   The activist was convicted of involvement in riots surrounding a demonstration in 2016. Renowned as a radical 'localist', Leung is popular among people demonstrating against the Chinese government because of its political colour. He was convicted in 2018 for leading protests two years earlier. Leung wanted to receive a sentence but got zero on Wednesday in the judge's plea. Hong Kong protesters are taking to the streets again to demand more democracy. Previous mass protests had been squashed by the outbreak of the new coronavirus and government action to stem the epidemic. The ratification of Leung's verdict could rekindle discontent in Hong Kong.
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