Euobserver.com

Fears that Iran is in the grip of a second wave of coronavirus have been reinforced, with the health ministry saying 3,000 new cases were recorded in 24 hours - the highest figure for two months, the Guardian writes. The Islamic Republic, one of the worst-hit countries in the Middle East, started easing its lockdown in April after a drop in deaths.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the increased use of antibiotics to combat the Covid-19 pandemic will strengthen bacterial resistance and ultimately lead to more deaths during the crisis and beyond, the Guardian reports. The UN health agency said it was concerned that the inappropriate use of antibiotics during the coronavirus crisis would further fuel the trend.

Malta's new prime minister was recently in war-torn Tripoli to strike deals on migrants, as the country continues to fall further apart.

The EU needs to develop its strategic autonomy in practical terms, which requires political will, the EU's foregin affairs chief said.

Post-Brexit talks between the UK and EU enter a crucial phase this week - the last round before a legal deadline expires on extending a transition period.

An internal document drafted by the Council's security committee provides an analysis of hacker threats at top tier staff -presiding over the EU institution that deals with member states.

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Bonn cancelled Beethoven: the much-anticipated 'Beethovenfest', as well as numerous concerts, exhibits and theatre performances were called off, some of the events were rescheduled for 2021.

The new EU pact on migration and asylum must cease the reliance on the Libyan Coast Guard to intercept and return those fleeing violence and armed conflict in Libya.

The minimum income guarantee was a condition included in the coalition agreement between the Socialists and the leftist group Unidas Podemos, after the indecisive results of the November national elections.

Commission vice-president in charge of competition Margarethe Vestager argued that companies getting large capital injections from the state during the corona crisis still have to offset their competitive advantage.

Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orban on Friday called the EU Commission's €750bn recovery plan "absurd", saying it is based on jointly-guaranteed credit and would help rich member states more. "They want to take out this loan for 30 years, so even our grandchildren may have to pay for it. We need to think carefully about whether we as a country want this or not," he said.

Björn Ulvaeus, co-founder of ABBA, has been appointed president of CISAC, the global confederation of authors' societies. "As CISAC president, which has a three-year term, Björn will support the confederation's work to secure stronger rights, more royalties, better systems, and improved conditions for creators across five repertoires – music, audiovisual, visual arts, drama and literature", a press statement read.

Malta and Libya are to open anti-migration "coordination units" in each other's countries to help stop the 800,000 irregular migrants said to be in Libya from coming to Europe, Maltese prime minister Robert Abela said after meeting with Fayez al-Sarraj, the EU and UN-recognised Libyan prime minister, in Tripoli on Thursday. "The solution clearly lies in concrete action on Libyan shores and its southern border," Abela said.

Bars, cafes, restaurants, and parks in France are to reopen on 2 June, marking the latest stage in lockdown-easing measures of one of Europe's strictest regimes, French prime minister Edouard Philippe said Thursday. "Freedom will become the rule, bans the exception," he said. Customers will only be allowed to eat in outside areas and staff will wear masks and gloves. Social gatherings of more than 10 people remain prohibited.

The EU needed higher financial guarantees from states over the next seven years in order to hedge against the cost of a potential no-deal Brexit in 2021, Johannes Hahn, the EU' budget commissioner said Thursday. "Our proposal is to increase the [budget] ceiling ... if they [the UK] don't pay what they promised to pay [due to hard Brexit] , it is sound financial management on our side," he said.

The EU is willing to move in negotiations on future EU-UK relations, but Britain must make a bigger effort in talks, EU trade commissioner Phil Hogan said Thursday, adding that negotiations had not made much progress. "Perhaps the UK has come to the conclusion that there's not going to be a deal. I hope not, because we want a deal," he said ahead of new talks due next week.

Germany is seeking to use new targeted EU sanctions against cyber-attackers to impose visa bans and asset freezes on the head of Russian military intelligence and one of his alleged operatives in Germany over Russian hacking of the Bundestag in 2015, the German foreign ministry has said. The Russian military intelligence service, the GRU, was "strongly suspected of being responsible for the hacking attack," a German spokesman said Thursday.

The European Commission has proposed a €9.4bn stand-alone programme dedicated to health known as EU4Health. The proposal is touted as a first step towards a possible Treaty change when it comes to health.

It took Belgium years to decide if a top colonel was spying for Russia - potentially exposing Nato to "grave damage".

The European Commission's recovery package increases five-fold the Just Transition Fund, which aims to support the transition of fossil fuel-dependent regions. But commission vice-president Frans Timmermans warned the allocation of funds could be anchored to Green Deal commitments.