Moscow International Business Center, Symbol of modern Moscow Image: Mos.ru.CC BY 4.0

Russian building workers given green light to go back to work

Even though most of the Russian economy is in lockdown and hospitals struggle to cope with coronavirus deaths, the country’s construction industry has been given permission to resume.

Most of Moscow’s streets are deserted.

VIDEO: Moscow’s streets remain depopulated despite thousands of employees heading back to work. More than 500,000 Moscow employees in industry and construction have been authorized to return to work pic.twitter.com/KHmudjHApe

— AFP news agency (@AFP) May 13, 2020

European Commission to restart the tourist industry hit hard by the coronavirus

The European Union’s executive Commission set out plans for a phased restart of travel in summer, hoping to save millions of tourism jobs threatened by the coronavirus pandemic across Europe, the world‘s top holiday destination.

Economic Affairs Commissioner, Paolo Gentiloni, said ‘Our message is we will have a tourist season this summer even if it’s with security measures and limitations.’

Travel restrictions to fight the virus have already had a devastating impact on the sector, with airlines around the continent forced to dismiss tens of thousands of jobs.

We will have summer tourist season, promises EU https://t.co/sAywikuPrU

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 13, 2020

But currently, many states are beginning to reopen with the easing of the restrictions and on 15 June free movement should resume.

The UK is in the middle of a ‘significant recession’ after March slump

Chief UK Finance Minister, Rishi Sunak, said Britain is now in the middle of a significant recession.

He said:

We have to support people’s jobs, their incomes, livelihoods at this time, and support businesses so we can get through this period of severe disruption and emerge stronger on the other side.

Britain’s economy shrank in the first quarter at the fastest pace since the 2008 financial crisis as the country went into lockdown over the coronavirus, official data showed, leaving it on the brink of recession with a far worse contraction to comehttps://t.co/zI4f2ik9Ww

— AFP news agency (@AFP) May 13, 2020

The U.K. government declared that official figures showed the economy shrank 2% in the first quarter of the year even though it included just one week of the coronavirus lockdown.

Analysts expect a double drop in UK gross domestic product (GDP) in the coming quarter.

Ahmaud Arbery’s mum believes the attack on her son was clearly racist

The mother of Ahmaud Arbery, the 25 years old boy was shot and killed while he was jogging, believes ‘there will be justice.’

Last Tuesday, more than two months after his shooting in Georgia, the case marked a turning point when a video showing the attack surfaced on a Brunswick radio station’s website.

A case that had appeared forgotten without much news interest came alive and is now a global issue.

“Arbery could have been any ‘black male running down the street,’ as a 911 caller described him. He could have been anyone’s brother, father, son, cousin, boyfriend, husband, co-worker, friend. He could have been me,” writes @DrIbram: https://t.co/fg0WPSlNpI

— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) May 13, 2020

A few days later Travis McMichael and his father, Greg McMichael, a former police officer have been arrested on a charge of murder and assault.

Currently, the US justice department is considering federal hate crimes charges.

Wanda Cooper-Jones says ‘He was African-American, he was jogging in a predominantly white neighbourhood – he was targeted for the colour of his skin.’