US response to the virus is met with incredulity abroad. The United States’ failure to contain the spread of the coronavirus has been met with astonishment and alarm in Europe, as the world’s most powerful country edges closer to a global record of 5 million confirmed infections.
Perhaps nowhere outside the U.S. is America’s bungled virus response viewed with more consternation than in Italy, which was ground zero of Europe’s epidemic. Italians were unprepared when the outbreak exploded in February and the country still has one of the world’s highest official death tolls at 35,000. - https://apnews.com/2a03a4e685316eb7d5a6e7181000fbfe

Beer culture — this is how Germany drinks
Only hops, barley, yeast, and water can be used to make Germany's favorite beverage, according to the Beer Purity Law. To mark International Beer Day, we'll show what else is part of German beer culture. https://www.dw.com/en/beer-culture-this-is-how-germany-drinks/g-54478368

People in China are back to buying German luxury cars. Europe’s assembly lines are accelerating. Now the global economy is waiting for the United States to get its coronavirus outbreak under control and boost the recovery, but there’s little sign of that. - https://apnews.com/07e84915d417309fd4b4593bdb2cb90f

Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, who wrote in a New York Times op-ed about how he thinks another lockdown in the US would "crush the spread" of Covid-19 until a vaccine arrives. - https://edition.cnn.com/videos/us/2020/08/11/michael-osterholm-5-million-cases-another-lockdown-coronavirus-trump-good-shape-ctn-vpx.cnn

Why did the United States’ Covid-19 containment response fail, particularly compared with the successful results of so many nations in Asia, Europe and even our neighbor Canada? - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/07/opinion/coronavirus-lockdown-unemployment-death.html

Europeans' trust in US as world leader collapses during pandemic
Many citizens appalled by Donald Trump’s handling of coronavirus crisis, study finds https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/29/europeans-trust-in-us-as-world-leader-collapses-during-pandemic

A sample of frozen chicken wings imported from Brazil has tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, authorities said Thursday, the latest in a series of reports of contaminated imported food products. - https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/13/asia/china-coronavirus-chicken-wings-intl-hnk/index.html

New Zealand has extended a lockdown in its most populous city as the country battles a fresh community coronavirus outbreak that comes after months without any locally transmitted cases.
Only five days ago, New Zealand was marking an enviable milestone — 100 days without any community transmission. But this week has demonstrated how fast that can change, even in a country like New Zealand which has been held up as a world leader for its handling of the virus. - https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/14/asia/new-zealand-coronavirus-lockdown-intl-hnk/index.html

Costa Rica's lush rainforests are home to hundreds of rare species. Endangered great green macaws, with wingspans of up to 90 centimeters, raucously fly through the canopies. - https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/27/americas/gallery/costa-rica-reforestation-c2e-spc/index.html

Hundreds of thousands of British tourists face being forced to quarantine for two weeks on their return home after the government added France, the Netherlands and Malta to its list of virus trouble-spot destinations. - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-14/u-k-tourists-face-chaos-as-france-added-to-quarantine-list

Matthew McConaughey instagram live interview with Dr Fauci about 42 minutes duration https://youtu.be/4EQVGpknwTU

A man leapt from his surfboard on to a shark that was attacking his wife, repeatedly punching the animal until it let go, Australian media report. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-53792016

Coronavirus digest: Spain, Italy shut nightclubs to stem infections. The two countries have tightened their coronavirus measures to prevent crowds of revelers from passing on the virus during nights out. - https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-digest-spain-italy-shut-nightclubs-to-stem-infections/a-54589088

2020 may set EU record for cocaine seizures. Despite the global pandemic, it's shaping up to be a record year for cocaine smuggling in the European Union. Authorities in Berlin say they're struggling to tackle "coke taxis" delivering drugs to people's doorsteps. - https://www.dw.com/en/2020-may-set-eu-record-for-cocaine-seizures/a-54585695

A Japanese bulk carrier that ran aground on a reef in Mauritius last month threatening a marine ecological disaster around the Indian Ocean island has broken apart, authorities said on Saturday.
The condition of the MV Wakashio was worsening early on Saturday and it split by the afternoon, the Mauritius National Crisis Committee said. - https://www.france24.com/en/20200815-japanese-ship-leaking-tons-of-oil-off-mauritius-has-broken-in-two

The MV Wakashio just broke into two pieces off the coast of Mauritius and now the front part is being towed and will be sunk "at least 1,000 kilometers" off the island. - Slideshow, check it out. https://www.instagram.com/p/CD6qQJSJLYw/

In South Africa, which is five months into one of the world’s longest and strictest lockdowns, those restrictions finally were bringing signs of progress.
With the number of new cases declining and other indicators showing that South Africa has passed its first peak, the country on Tuesday will resume sales of liquor and cigarettes, and allow bars, restaurants, gyms, places of worship and other venues to reopen, all with distancing requirements. Schools are set to reopen gradually beginning next week. https://apnews.com/5301598bd1bd569d5e4b72d937eddca5

Telegram rocks!! We use it since the WApp got purchased by Facebook. To circumvent the shutdown, many Belarusians turned to free anonymizing tools and virtual private networks like Telegram and Psiphon, which has topped the downloads at the Google app store in the days since the vote. Psiphon saw its regular daily users in Belarus skyrocket in just one day — from 10,000 ahead of the election to more than a million. - https://www.dw.com/en/in-belarus-privacy-apps-help-resist-internet-shutdown/a-54560843

Face masks will need to be worn "systematically" in workplaces starting in September to contain an alarming rise in Covid-19 infections, the French government announced on Tuesday.
When people return to work in September after the summer holidays, the use of masks will be made "systematic" in all indoor work spaces, including meeting rooms, corridors and open-plan offices, Labour Minister Élisabeth Borne said - https://www.france24.com/en/20200818-france-mulls-mandatory-masks-at-work-to-contain-spike-in-infections

Mauritian authorities on Tuesday arrested the Indian captain of a Japanese-owned ship wrecked off the island nation's coast, spewing tonnes of oil into pristine waters, police said.
The MV Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef on July 25 and began oozing oil more than a week later, spilling more than 1,000 tonnes into blue waters popular among honeymooners and tourists. - https://www.france24.com/en/20200818-mauritius-arrests-captain-of-ship-that-caused-major-oil-spill-after-running-aground