Eurotopics.net

Austria's government plans to start gradually easing the lockdown next week. Smaller shops and handicraft businesses will be able to open under certain conditions, with more to follow in May. While some media warn against the move, others see it as the result of a responsible policy.

Keir Starmer, who opposed Brexit, has been elected as the new leader of the Labour Party and thus of the opposition in the UK. The party suffered a historic defeat in the December general election under his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn. Will a more pragmatic Labour leader be able to shake up British politics in these times of the coronavirus crisis?

The hitman who assasinated Slovakian investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée two years ago has been sentenced to 23 years in prison. He had confessed to the crime and given the contractor's name. Another court case against this suspect has been suspended due to the coronavirus crisis. Slovakian media explain why the shooter wasn't sentenced to life in prison.

Measures to stop the spread of Sars-Cov-2 are facing people with unprecedented challenges. Some are trying to juggle work at home with childcare, while others are worried about losing their entire livelihood. Commentators reflect on the long-term consequences of the state of emergency and how states should react.

In a televised address Queen Elizabeth has called on the British to be strong in face of the coronavirus pandemic, saying that she hopes that in the years to come people will be proud of how they faced this challenge. The queen normally only addresses the nation in her Christmas speech. But this message was more than worthwhile, journalists concur.