Proposal From Germany, France Would Bolster Poorer EU Nations, But It’s Unlikely To Be Popular
German and French leaders have put aside past grievances during the pandemic and stepped into the vacuum created by Brexit to try to help guide Europe through the crisis. But will their efforts backfire on them politically? Other global news comes from Spain, Thailand and South Korea.
The New York Times:
One Crisis Too Many: How The Coronavirus Pushed Germany To Shift Course
In her time as chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel has seen the European Union put to the test by Brexit, a wave of migration, the Greek debt crisis and populism, and still she held to a largely steadfast course. Then came the coronavirus. Faced with a tarnishing of her own legacy and a deep recession gutting her own country and its main trading partners, Ms. Merkel this week agreed to break with two longstanding taboos in German policy.Along with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, Ms. Merkel proposed a 500 billion euro fund to help the European Union member states most ravaged by the virus. (Erlanger, 5/19)
Reuters:
Spain Makes Masks Compulsory In Public, Even For Children
Spain has made it compulsory for all citizens, including children over six, to wear masks in public spaces as one of Europe’s strictest lockdowns gradually unwinds. The Health Ministry order said the masks - whose efficiency in curbing the coronavirus is hotly debated globally - would be needed from Thursday for indoor public spaces and outdoors when impossible to keep a two-metre distance. (Landauro, 5/20)
Reuters:
Thailand Says It Expects Coronavirus Vaccine Next Year After Tests In Mice
Thailand expects to have a vaccine for the novel coronavirus ready next year, a senior official said on Wednesday, after finding positive trial results in mice. Thailand will begin testing the mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccine in monkeys next week after successful trials in mice, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, spokesman for the government’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration. (5/20)
The Associated Press:
South Korean High School Seniors Return To School
South Korean students began returning to school on Wednesday, but not without some hitches. Hundreds of thousands of high school seniors entered their schools after having their temperatures checked and rubbing their hands with sanitizer — familiar measures amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Kim, 5/20)
