Germany
UK virus variant spreading rapidly in Germany: minister
The rise comes despite Germany partially closing its borders in an attempt to stem the spread of the new variants.
Robert Koch Institute (RKI) chief Lothar Wieler told reporters that the emergence of new, more contagious variants of the coronavirus posed a real danger to tentatively successful German efforts to curb its spread.
More than 1.9 million people have been infected so far, with almost 17,000 new cases added since Saturday.
Health Minister Jens Spahn said that 'as long as it is possible', Germany aimed to prevent 'potentially dangerous virus mutations from spreading in continental Europe'.
A total of 952 people died in the previous 24 hours, according to the Robert Koch Institute disease control centre.
The delay in approval was raising questions over 'the European Union's ability to act', 'Bild' quoted a source as saying.
Adolf Hitler Uunona, 54, a politician of the ruling Swapo party, was last week elected local government councillor for Ompundja constituency in northern Namibia, with 85% of the ballots cast.
The suspect, a native of the quaint city of Trier in Germany's Rhineland-Palatinate state, is accused of five counts of murder and 18 counts of attempted murder, the judge said.
Police were not immediately able to say whether the silver SUV had deliberately targeted the pedestrian-only zone but Trier mayor Wolfram Leibe said the driver appeared to have gone 'on a rampage'.
The record increase in gross domestic product (GDP) beat the preliminary estimate of 8.2% quarter-on-quarter announced in October, federal statistics agency Destatis said.
The government is to meet Monday to decide whether to extend new measures provisionally in place until month's end and as neighbouring Austria revealed it is planning mass testing as a second lockdown comes into force.
"The curve is flattening," said Lothar Wieler, showing "we are not helpless against this virus" and that restrictions such as social distancing and mask-wearing can help halt the march of Covid-19.
The decision is a rare piece of good news for German nightclubs, which have been forced to keep their doors closed for more than six months now because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Still reeling from a deadly shooting spree in the streets of Vienna on Monday evening, Austria went into partial lockdown while Greece shut down major cities.
The tough restrictions to come into force from Monday, 2 November to the end of the month would limit contact outdoors to people from two households. Bars, cafes and restaurants must shut, although takeaways and delivery services can continue.
The figure far exceeds the next highest total of 7,830 recorded last Friday, and is a steep jump from the 7,595 cases reported on Wednesday by the Robert Koch Institute.
Valuable paintings, stone sculptures and sarcophagi at three institutions on the German capital's Unesco-listed Museum Island were sprayed with an 'oily liquid', leaving visible stains, Berlin police told AFP.
Europe's biggest economy recorded 4,058 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, including 16 deaths, according to the latest data compiled by the disease control agency RKI.
Company bosses at the group's service centre in Nuremberg were found to have delved too deeply into the private lives of their employees.