Europe is plunging into darkness ahead of this year's Christmas season as Germany and the United Kingdom tighten their already harsh coronavirus lockdowns.
On Thursday, a Spanish court overturned the latest government lockdown restrictions placed on the capital, Madrid, and 9 other cities.
Madrid's highest regional court rejected the measures imposed by the Spanish central government, calling them an "interference by public authorities in citizens' fundamental rights."
Reactions poured in worldwide after the news of U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump testing positive for COVID-19. The first messages of support came from the leaders of the United Kingdom, Israel, and India.
France has deployed riot police in the country's second biggest city Marseille to enforce face mask rules aimed at quelling the spread of Wuhan coronavirus. "Government spokesperson Gabriel Attal announced on Monday that 130 police officers are being sent to Marseille, a coastal city in south-eastern France," French TV channel EuroNews reported.
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.
