France Adds More Countries on Its Mandatory Quarantine List
Novinite.com
13 May 2021, 20:12 GMT+10
Five more countries will be added to France s mandatory 10-day quarantine list, French government spokesman Gabriel Attal announced Wednesday.
The list of countries will be released shortly, adding to the seven countries - Turkey, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Qatar - that have appeared on the list since last week.
Travellers from Chile, South Africa, India and Brazil already have to undergo mandatory quarantine as the appearance of new variants in those countries in the past weeks has made the health situation particularly worrying.
Austrian chancellor under investigation for corruption
May 12, 2021 GMT
BERLIN (AP) Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz confirmed Wednesday that he is under investigation by anti-corruption authorities on suspicion he made false statements to a parliamentary commission allegations he denied.
Kurz told lawmakers that the investigation by the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office is centered on statements he gave during a parliamentary probe focused on his coalition partner party’s leader, which triggered the collapse of his previous government in 2019.
Kurz suggested the probe would likely lead to a criminal charge and that he would comply with questioning should the case go before a judge, Austria’s APA news agency reported. He said he had no thoughts of resigning.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has been awarded a media freedom prize by a German publisher at the Ludwig-Erhard-Summit, a move which leading Austrian politician Christian Deutsch has called “absurd” and accused Kurz of pushing towards an “Orbanisation of Austria”.
“Kurz is continuously undermining the pillars of our democracy and attacks our constitutional state as well as press freedom,” said Deutsch, who is one of the leading figures of the opposition SPÖ.
Kurz was selected by an anonymous jury for his commitment as a “bridge-builder in Europe” and an ambassador for freedom. Presenting the award, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis praised the chancellor’s pragmatism and “constructive dissent.”
UPDATE 2-Austria s Kurz being investigated by anti-corruption prosecutors Reuters 4 hrs ago Opposition say he has not fully cooperated with commission Kurz and his party have a clear lead in opinion polls (Adds detail, background)
By Francois Murphy
VIENNA, May 12 (Reuters) - Anti-corruption prosecutors are investigating Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz over possible false testimony to a parliamentary commission investigating the fallout from the so-called Ibiza sting video that felled a previous government.
The commission is looking into possible corruption under Kurz s coalition with the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), a coalition that collapsed in 2019 after a video sting showing then FPO leader and Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache offering to fix government contracts before he took office.
3 Min Read
VIENNA (Reuters) -Anti-corruption prosecutors are investigating Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz over possible false testimony to a parliamentary commission investigating the fallout from the so-called Ibiza sting video that felled a previous government.
FILE PHOTO: Austria s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz attends a news conference on COVID-19 restrictions, in Vienna, Austria April 23, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
The commission is looking into possible corruption under Kurz’s coalition with the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), a coalition that collapsed in 2019 after a video sting showing then FPO leader and Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache offering to fix government contracts before he took office.
The video offered various angles of inquiry, including whether appointments to posts at state-owned companies were made correctly, although Strache says he was drunk and not speaking seriously. Opposition lawmakers in the commission have accused Kurz and his party of not