The coronavirus can directly invade the brain, causing headaches, confusion and delirium in some patients, according to a study led by Yale immunologist Akiko Iwasaki. 
According to the paper, the virus is able to replicate inside the brain, and its presence starves nearby cells of oxygen. The research is, however, still preliminary but offers new evidence to support what was previously an untested theory. - https://p.dw.com/p/3iFkh

The Japanese operator of a ship that leaked oil off the Mauritius coast pledged Friday to pay at least $9.4 million (€7.9 million) to help restore areas affected by the spill.
Mauritius previously asked Japan to provide at least $34 million to help deal with the ramifications of the oil spill.
Mitsui OSK Lines said in a statement that it planned to "contribute a total fund of about one billion Japanese yen ($9.4 million) over several years to support measures" to restore the marine environment. https://p.dw.com/p/3iJUN

Hundreds of firefighters battled two large wildfires Friday that threatened to merge near the most populated part of Oregon, including the suburbs of Portland, and the governor said dozens of people are missing in other parts of the state. https://apnews.com/429f97bdf66aaa28a4dd43879a412503

Mourners gathered Thursday at the wake of a newspaper reporter whose decapitated body was found a day earlier in an area of the Gulf coast state of Veracruz that has suffered months of organized crime violence. https://apnews.com/971838bdc47537193af800d7f90600f6

This new electric car has over 1,000 horsepower
Lucid Motors, led by ex-Tesla engineer Peter Rawlinson, has revealed its first lineup. The Lucid Air models are luxury sedans ranging in price from $80,000 to more than $169,000. https://edition.cnn.com/videos/business/2020/09/09/lucid-air-reveal-electric-vehicle-tesla-orig.cnn-business

The United States plans to end enhanced health screening of travelers from certain countries next week, and those visitors will no longer be funneled through 15 large U.S. airports. https://apnews.com/71c104b24db8c7dac67fa299ea39701f

Europe can expect an increase in its daily coronavirus death rate throughout October and November as cases rise across the continent, the head of the World Health Organization's (WHO) European branch said on Monday.
"We expect an increase of COVID-19 cases which sadly means more cases of death," the WHO Regional Office for Europe confirmed https://p.dw.com/p/3iQvN

Sarah Hawkins has lost everything. In just four hours, her Northern California farm was consumed by one of multiple fast-moving wildfires laying waste to three western US states. Days of dry and windy conditions are feeding blazes the likes of which even those accustomed to wildfires have not seen before. https://p.dw.com/p/3iQWH

US woman faces hefty fine after 'causing coronavirus outbreak in Bavaria' - Despite showing symptoms of the coronavirus, a 26-year-old US citizen allegedly went out partying in the Alpine resort of Garmisch thus starting a wave of infections in the town. https://mastodon.online/@a1leint/104866155594408996

The international reputation of the United States has declined further in the wake of its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to new research Tuesday from the Pew Research Center.
In some of the 13 countries surveyed, favorable views of the U.S. have fallen to record lows. Pew started polling on the topic nearly two decades ago. https://apnews.com/452aa6fcfda71c3e47857752aea79395

The federal government outlined a sweeping plan Wednesday to make vaccines for COVID-19 available for free to all Americans, even as polls show a strong undercurrent of skepticism rippling across the land. https://apnews.com/fecd2157ba73f72f43c600783c773089

Toxicologist: 'Extremely unlikely' that non-state actor attacked Navalny
The Kremlin has denied any involvement in the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny with the Soviet-style Novichok nerve agent. https://p.dw.com/p/3hySW

The World Health Organization warns of "a very serious situation unfolding" in Europe
It comes as cases exceed those seen at the peak of the pandemic in March https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-54187391

European nations from Denmark and Iceland in the north to Greece in the south announced new restrictions on Friday to curb surging coronavirus infections in some of their largest cities, and Britain was considering a new national lockdown. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-europe/european-cities-announce-new-restrictions-as-covid-19-cases-soar-idUSKBN2692E1

After successfully tamping down the first surge of infection and death, Europe is now in the middle of a second coronavirus wave as it moves into winter — raising questions over what went so wrong. https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/19/europe/europe-second-wave-coronavirus-intl/index.html

Five hundred children have been quarantined after a Covid-19 outbreak at their school in South Africa's Eastern Cape province. Government officials say the mass outbreak could have dire consequences for the community, as pupils who tested positive have been in contact with their friends and families.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-54231625?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=5f688228741ac102ce3d53cc%26Mass%20outbreak%20at%20South%20African%20school%262020-09-21T12%3A06%3A24.943Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:65316468-04f8-49f8-8cd5-efe5ea1dd712&pinned_post_asset_id=5f688228741ac102ce3d53cc&pinned_post_type=share

The difficult fight against the second wave
The Spanish government imposed a tough coronavirus lockdown in the spring, but now, new infections are rising faster than anywhere else in the EU. The economy is facing potential collapse even as new lockdown measures go into effect. - https://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/spain-s-covid-resurgence-the-difficult-fight-against-the-second-wave-a-29c9e428-ce5b-4822-9a33-72e040e02e06

“I expect we will see an increase in deaths in six to eight weeks”
German politician Karl Lauterbach, a member of parliament and one of the country’s leading voices on the coronavirus, warns in an interview that cases of COVID-19 are about to increase dramatically in Germany. Politicians, he says, will need to tighten the reins again. https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/german-health-expert-on-second-wave-of-covid-19-more-deaths-in-6-to-8-weeks-a-0a975cbb-7645-4a89-9c45-360be1179591

Renowned French singer Juliette Greco, 'the muse of existentialism,' has died
French singer, actress and poet Juliette Greco has died at the age of 93. A darling of the bohemian scene in Paris, she was friends with Jean-Paul Sartre and more than friends with Albert Camus and Miles Davis. https://p.dw.com/p/3iuo9

A cloud of uncertainty that has hung over Rio de Janeiro throughout the coronavirus pandemic has been lifted, but gloom remains — the annual Carnival parade of flamboyant samba schools won’t be held in February. https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-carnivals-rio-de-janeiro-archive-parades-e8096b84829573759f1447cc886f9f48