By , AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -A debate that could seal the political fate of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte was set to go on well past midnight on Friday, after politicians from all sides of parliament accused him of lying over remarks made during talks to form a Cabinet.Rutte faced the biggest challenge to his leadership in a decade as the opposition presented a no-confidence motion, with a vote to directly follow the debate.Rutte was the clear winner of last month’s parliamentary elections, seen as a referendum on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.Losing a vote of confidence would...…By , AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -A debate that could seal the political fate of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte was set to go on well past midnight on Friday, after politicians from all sides of parliament accused him of lying over remarks made during talks to form a Cabinet.Rutte faced the biggest challenge to his leadership in a decade as the opposition presented a no-confidence motion, with a vote to directly follow the debate.Rutte was the clear winner of last month’s parliamentary elections, seen as a referendum on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.Losing a vote of confidence would...WW…

By , AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Appellate judges ruled on Tuesday that a night-time curfew would remain in place in the Netherlands pending a government appeal of a lower-court ruling that found the measure lacked legal justification.Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s coronavirus policy was dealt a major blow earlier in the day when a district court in The Hague said his government had failed to make clear why it was necessary to use emergency powers at this stage of the pandemic.The government requested and was granted an injunction, or emergency order, in which the three-judge appellate panel in The...…By , AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Appellate judges ruled on Tuesday that a night-time curfew would remain in place in the Netherlands pending a government appeal of a lower-court ruling that found the measure lacked legal justification.Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s coronavirus policy was dealt a major blow earlier in the day when a district court in The Hague said his government had failed to make clear why it was necessary to use emergency powers at this stage of the pandemic.The government requested and was granted an injunction, or emergency order, in which the three-judge appellate panel in The...WW…

By AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The European Union geared up to start mass vaccinations against COVID-19 just after Christmas after the shot developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech cleared regulatory hurdles on Monday.European Union countries including Germany, France, Austria and Italy have said they plan to start vaccinations from Dec. 27 as Europe tries to catch up with the United States and Britain, where inoculations began earlier this month.Having secured a green light from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European Commission gave final approval on Monday evening to the...…By AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The European Union geared up to start mass vaccinations against COVID-19 just after Christmas after the shot developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech cleared regulatory hurdles on Monday.European Union countries including Germany, France, Austria and Italy have said they plan to start vaccinations from Dec. 27 as Europe tries to catch up with the United States and Britain, where inoculations began earlier this month.Having secured a green light from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European Commission gave final approval on Monday evening to the...WW…

By , NEW YORK/AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Nearly two-thirds of U.S. states were in a danger zone of coronavirus spread and six, including election battleground Wisconsin, reported a record one-day increase in COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday while the pandemic’s resurgence in Europe strained hospitals.Coronavirus deaths hit fresh daily records in Hawaii, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana and Wisconsin, a state that also reported a record daily increase in new cases together with Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio, according to a Reuters analysis.Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers announced that a field...…By , NEW YORK/AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Nearly two-thirds of U.S. states were in a danger zone of coronavirus spread and six, including election battleground Wisconsin, reported a record one-day increase in COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday while the pandemic’s resurgence in Europe strained hospitals.Coronavirus deaths hit fresh daily records in Hawaii, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana and Wisconsin, a state that also reported a record daily increase in new cases together with Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio, according to a Reuters analysis.Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers announced that a field...WW…