TOP HEADLINES

- At least 36 crew members on a Norwegian cruise ship have tested positive for COVID-19. The entire 160-person crew has been quarantined on the ship currently docked in Tromso, North Norway, whilst all of its 177 passengers, who had already embarked, have been contacted and told to self-isolate. 

-More than 40 police officers have been injured, three of whom needed hospital treatment, after a second day of demonstrations in Berlin, Germany. People gathered in the streets of the country's capital to protest against the latest measures implemented by the government to slow the spread of the virus. A total of 133 people were arrested during Saturday's protests. 

- Ireland is considering implementing stricter measures to limit non-essential travel according to the country's health minister, Stephen Donnelly. This comes after Ireland's chief medical officer Ronan Glynn called the recent surge that has seen new infections double in the recent days "concerning.”

- A UK minister has cast doubts on the country's reported plans to introduce more shielding measures for older people as well as local measures being implemented in London. Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick added "There is no plan, as far as I'm aware, to do anything broader in London.”

- Lewis Hamilton won the behind closed doors British Grand Prix Formula One race on Sunday in what was one of the best finishes the race has ever seen. 

-The president of Germany's region of Bavaria, Markus Soeder says he believes that Germany's football fans shouldn't be allowed to return to stadiums when the German league season restarts next month, because of a surge in COVID-19 cases across the nation. 

- Spain's labour minister Yolanda Diaz has suggested the government will extend its job retention scheme, which is due to end in September, for three more months. "It would not make any sense to drop a protection system as important as the one designed by the government," She added.

- The number of new infections in Belgium has doubled in the last week, with an average of 448 people testing positive each day in the last week of July. 

- Russia's new infections rose by 5,427 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide tally to 850,870. Fatalities also rose by 70 to 14,128.

- Turkey's airline Turkish Airlines has restarted international flights to Russia after more than four months of suspension.

- Madrid Open tennis organisers have been urged to cancel its tournament scheduled to take place next month as cases surge in the Spanish capital. 

ACROSS EUROPE

Nawied Jabarkhyl in London

One of the UK's largest teaching unions has called for "greater clarity" from the government on when schools can reopen. Pupils in England are set to return to classrooms in September, but a recent rise in cases in the country has caused concern for some parents and teachers.

The NASUWT union says teachers need clearer guidance if children are to go back safely. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have powers to make their own decisions over education and plan on reopening some schools this month.

In Scotland, a cluster of 13 cases of COVID-19 is being investigated by local health authorities. The outbreak is linked to a pub in Aberdeen in the northeast of the country.

Norway

At least 36 crew members on a Norwegian cruise ship were diagnosed with COVID-19 after it arrived at Tromso in North Norway.

All 160 crew members on the Roald Amundsen have been quarantined on the ship, whilst the 177 passengers who were on the ship but had already disembarked, were contacted by the cruise company and told to self-isolate.

The cruise company has said that during the cruise, all passengers were instructed to socially distance to stop any potential spread of the disease. 
 

FROM OUR GLOBAL COLLEAGUES

CGTN Europe podcast: Notes on a pandemic: Science rules

CGTN China: Chinese mainland reports 49 new COVID-19 cases

CGTN America: U.S. COVID-19 death toll projected to top 230,000 by November

CGTN Africa: Nigeria records lowest number of cases in two weeks

Sign up here to get the COVID-19 Europe bulletin sent directly to your inbox

CGTN Europe has been providing in-depth coverage of the novel coronavirus story as it has unfolded. Here you can read the essential information about the crisis.