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Europe Tag

European Union economies have taken a big hit in the wake of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, registering their biggest decline in recent history. The eurozone economies, comprising of 19 out of 27 EU member states, reported an annualized GPD decline of 40.3 percent, higher than the annualized drop of 32.9 percent registered in the United States. 

Church bells across Greece tolled in mourning on Friday as neighboring Turkey held its first Islamic prayer marking the conversion of Hagia Sophia cathedral into a mosque, Greek newspapers reported. Hagia Sophia, the first cathedral of the Eastern Roman Empire, is particularly sacred to Christian Orthodox believers, represented largely by the Greek Church. 

European mainstream media were united in their condemnation of U.S. President Donald Trump's Fourth of July speech at Mount Rushmore. The coverage in the mainstream German, French, and British news outlets echoed each other, describing the speech as 'dark,' 'polarizing,' and 'divisive.'

The European Union wants to lift the Europe-wide coronavirus travel restrictions to by the end of June, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said on Friday. "I think we're coming very close to a situation where we should lift all the internal border restrictions and border checks," Johansson told a French broadcaster.

With the Wuhan coronavirus lockdown phasing out, countries across Europe are opening up for summer tourism. "The first day of June has seen lockdown restrictions eased in a number of European countries, with residents from Athens to Amsterdam flocking to museums and bars for the first time in months," German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported Monday.

Europe witnessed a wave of anti-lockdown protests on Saturday. Germany saw a huge surge in demonstrations. Thousands came out in Berlin, Munich, and Stuttgart against the measures imposed in the wake of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. Police used tear gas to disperse protesters in Warsaw, Poland and arrests were made in London's Hyde park, the European media reported.

European governments are moving towards the easing of Wuhan coronavirus lockdowns, media reports suggest. Many European countries, including Germany, France, Spain, and Italy, have begun working on their respective "exit plans" to restore normalcy as the spread of coronavirus in their countries slows down.

After the postponement of this year's Tokyo Olympics, Germany has called off Oktoberfest set to take place between September 19 and October 4. With Germany struggling to contain Wuhan coronavirus, "the risk is simply too big," Bavarian state Prime Minister Markus Söder said while announcing his decision. "To live with coronavirus means to live carefully till there is a vaccine or a medicine," he added.

With Europe now officially the epicenter of the Coronavirus pandemic, Germany has announced its decision to close its borders with France, Austria, and Switzerland starting Monday, German news agency dpa reports. The German borders will remain closed barring some exceptions. Daily commuters and movement of goods have been exempted from the closure.

Police in Greece fought back on Saturday to repel thousands of illegal immigrants along the Turkish border. The push back comes as tens of thousands of migrants are beginning to amass along the Turkish-Greek border. Angry migrants pelted stones at Greek guards and attempted to cut through border fences, news reports said. The Greek police fired tear gas in response.

Europe has been hit by a massive migrant wave after Turkey opened border crossings on Friday. Thousands of migrants started amassing along the Greek and Bulgarian borders, with Turkish authorities offering free bus rides for illegal migrants to reach border crossings.

Austria's parliament passed a unanimous resolution on Thursday condemning the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement (BDS) as antisemitic. The resolution, tabled by the ruling People’s Party, was supported by all political groups represented in Austria’s National Council.