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German coalition parties on Tuesday agreed to extend measures aimed to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic on the EU's largest economy, Reuters reported. These include prolonging aid for small and mid-sized companies until the end of this year and extending a short-time work scheme due to expire in March 2021. The coalition also agreed to an electoral reform that would limit the number of lawmakers in the Bundestag.

The French health ministry reported, on Tuesday, 3,304 new coronavirus infections - a figure well below this weekend's new post-lockdown record of 4,897 cases, Reuters reported. However, the number of hospitalised people aged under-40 has increased to 18 percent since early July compared to about 8 percent from February to July. France has recorded a total of 248,158 coronavirus cases and 30,544 deaths, including 16 in the last 24 hours.

Turkey's foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Tuesday Ankara was ready for EU mediation between Turkey and Greece "without preconditions", adding he expected the EU to act as an "honest and objective" mediator, Ekathimerini writes. Çavuşoğlu also said Greece must abandon its "maximalist approach" and pre-conditions for dialogue to begin over disputed offshore Mediterranean resources. He gave his comments during a press conference with German foreign minister Heiko Maas.

After a man in Hong Kong tested positive twice for Covid-19, the Netherlands and Belgium have each reported the same incident. Marion Koopmans, chief of the Dutch Erasmus MC department of virology, confirmed on Tuesday a case of coronavirus reinfection. Belgian virologist Marc Van Ranst also confirmed a reinfection case, saying that "there are indeed enough differences to be able to speak of a different strain, a second infection".

The Irish government said on Tuesday that EU trade commissioner Phil Hogan committed "clear breaches" of public health rules in his recent trip to the country, Reuters writes. Hogan rendered account of his Irish trip to the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, saying he was in isolation until he received a negative Covid-19 test result. But the government guidelines required him to restrict his movements for 14 days.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, on Tuesday, said that the US was interfering Beijing's relationship with Europe, adding it was "in both of our interests to dispel such interferences," Politico reports. Wang made his comments after a meeting in Rome with Italian foreign minister Luigi Di Maio. After Italy, Wang will visit the Netherlands, Norway, France, and Germany to discuss trade, Hong Kong, coronavirus and the Chinese telecom giant Huawei.

Israeli aircraft struck posts of the Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim militant group Hezbollah early on Wednesday after shots were fired from Lebanon towards its troops, Israel's military said, as reported by Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Hezbollah gave no comments. The incident comes just weeks after the major blast that devastated large parts of Lebanon's capital, Beirut, and months after large demonstrations against corruption and government dysfunction.

It is time to show Poland's homophobic ruling party that it isn't possible to erode human rights and our common European values without a price.

Senior EU foreign affairs official Helga Schmid told MEPs the diplomatic service was working on drawing up sanctions, which should be finalised 'very soon'.

It is time for France, Germany, and the UK to send the world's most dangerous man - Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei - a message on the price of treaty violations.

The largest mass protests in Belarus' history, unfolding right now, could be called a women's revolution.

Europe has urged Russian authorities to come clean on who poisoned Alexei Navalny, amid German fear of Russian assassins also in Berlin.

Europe has urged the Kremlin to come clean on who poisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, after a German clinic said he had ingested a nerve toxin. "Those responsible must be identified and brought to justice," German chancellor Angela Merkel said. "Russian people, as well as the international community, are demanding the facts," EU foreign relations chief Josep Borrell added. German police have been posted outside Navalny's hospital in Berlin.

Denmark's military intelligence head Lars Findsen has been suspended after it was revealed that the agency had broken laws and misled the intelligence watchdog. Two others have also been suspended, the BBC reported. The Danish Defence Intelligence Service is said to have been spying on Danish citizens, passing on information about them, and failing to investigate allegations of espionage in the armed services. Defence minister Trine Bramsen promised an investigation.

Facebook's French subsidiary agreed to pay more than €106 million in back taxes, including a penalty, after a 10-year audit of its accounts by French tax authorities, Reuters reported. France is pushing to overhaul international tax rules on digital companies. Current tax rules allow companies to funnel sales generated in local markets in Europe to their regional headquarters, often based on countries with low corporate tax rates, such as Ireland.

Britain's public debt has surpassed £2 trillion for the first time, piling pressure on finance minister Rishi Sunak amid the need for emergency support for the pandemic-hit economy, Reuters reported. The debt stands at 100.5 percent of Britain's economic output, the highest since 1961. The debt surge is the result of an increase in government spending to offset the negative effects of the pandemic and a decrese in tax revenues.

Catalonia's leader Quim Torra on Monday outlined a set of new restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus cases in the Spanish region before students return to school in September. The measures include a ban on social gatherings of more than 10 people, except for work meetings and when traveling. The regional government in Murcia also introduced a ban on social gatherings of more than six people.

The American biotechnology company Moderna said Monday it had concluded advanced talks with the EU to supply 80 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, which is currently in late-stage testing, Reuters reported. The potential agreement provides for an option for EU countries to buy an additional 80 million doses. Moderna is the fifth company with which the EU has concluded talks in an effort to secure a Covid-19 vaccine.

Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg said she has returned to school after a year off campaigning to curb climate change, AFP reported. "My gap year from school is over, and it feels so great to finally be back in school again!", the 17-year-old tweeted. While campaigning for action against climate change around the world, Thurberg did her lessons remotely.

A new report indicates that the EU's plan to reduce the bloc's greenhouse emissions by 55 percent by 2030 is "technically and economically feasible" - with a reform of EU carbon market and "adequate safeguards" for low-income EU countries.