The Economist Continental Europe Edition June 13, 2020

The World Health Organisation changed its advice and now recommends that people wear face masks on public transport and in other situations where social distancing is difficult. Anthony Fauci, the chief scientist advising the American government about the virus, warned that the epidemic is far from over and that there was “no way” covid-19 would simply disappear. India reported a surge in infections; it now has the world’s fifth-highest number of cases. All workers in construction and manufacturing were allowed to return to work in New York City, and shoppers could pick up goods they ordered from stores. Scientists in New Zealand proclaimed that the country was rid of covid-19 following a two-week absence of new cases. The country’s borders remain closed to foreigners. For our latest coverage of the virus and its consequences please…

Politics Democrats in the House of Representatives introduced legislation to reform policing in America in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. The measures, which will be resisted in the Senate, would simplify the process for prosecuting officers for misconduct and curtail the “qualified immunity” law that shields them from civil lawsuits. Mr Floyd was laid to rest in his home town of Houston. Protesters turned their energy to toppling statues. Among those torn down were effigies of Jefferson Davis in Richmond, Virginia, and Christopher Columbus in a number of cities. nascar, a car-racing tournament popular in the South, banned the Confederate flag from its events. Israel’s high court struck down a law that sought to legalise Jewish settlements built on private Palestinian land as long as the Palestinians…

The World Health Organisation changed its advice and now recommends that people wear face masks on public transport and in other situations where social distancing is difficult. Anthony Fauci, the chief scientist advising the American government about the virus, warned that the epidemic is far from over and that there was “no way” covid-19 would simply disappear. India reported a surge in infections; it now has the world’s fifth-highest number of cases. All workers in construction and manufacturing were allowed to return to work in New York City, and shoppers could pick up goods they ordered from stores. Scientists in New Zealand proclaimed that the country was rid of covid-19 following a two-week absence of new cases. The country’s borders remain closed to foreigners. For our latest coverage of the…

Politics Democrats in the House of Representatives introduced legislation to reform policing in America in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. The measures, which will be resisted in the Senate, would simplify the process for prosecuting officers for misconduct and curtail the “qualified immunity” law that shields them from civil lawsuits. Mr Floyd was laid to rest in his home town of Houston. Protesters turned their energy to toppling statues. Among those torn down were effigies of Jefferson Davis in Richmond, Virginia, and Christopher Columbus in a number of cities. nascar, a car-racing tournament popular in the South, banned the Confederate flag from its events. Israel’s high court struck down a law that sought to legalise Jewish settlements built on private Palestinian land as long as the Palestinians are compensated. The…

GEORGE FLOYD was not famous. He was killed not in the capital of the United States, but on a street corner in its 46th-largest city. Yet in death he has suddenly become the keystone of a movement that has seized all of America. Still more remarkably, he has inspired protests abroad, from Brazil to Indonesia, and France to Australia. His legacy is the rich promise of social reform. It is too precious to waste. The focus is rightly on America (see United States section). The protests there, in big cities and tiny towns far from the coasts, may be the most widespread in the country’s long history of marching. After an outburst of rage following Mr Floyd’s death, the demonstrations have, as we hoped last week, been overwhelmingly peaceful. They have…

GEORGE FLOYD was not famous. He was killed not in the capital of the United States, but on a street corner in its 46th-largest city. Yet in death he has suddenly become the keystone of a movement that has seized all of America. Still more remarkably, he has inspired protests abroad, from Brazil to Indonesia, and France to Australia. His legacy is the rich promise of social reform. It is too precious to waste. The focus is rightly on America (see United States section). The protests there, in big cities and tiny towns far from the coasts, may be the most widespread in the country’s long history of marching. After an outburst of rage following Mr Floyd’s death, the demonstrations have, as we hoped last week, been overwhelmingly peaceful. They…