Lake Baikal, Russia (CNN)Lake Baikal, Russia's 'Sacred Sea,' has been a lifeline for inhabitants of southern Siberia for thousands of years, thanks to its pristine water and rich fauna. The gigantic ancient lake, bigger than all of the Great Lakes of North America combined, encompasses about 23% of the planet's freshwater reserves and is home to over 2,000 species.It is also the site of a bitter battle between the state, residents, and environmentalists trying to strike a balance between a population dependent on tourism and mass development infringing on a fragile ecosystem.On seeing...…Lake Baikal, Russia (CNN)Lake Baikal, Russia's 'Sacred Sea,' has been a lifeline for inhabitants of southern Siberia for thousands of years, thanks to its pristine water and rich fauna. The gigantic ancient lake, bigger than all of the Great Lakes of North America combined, encompasses about 23% of the planet's freshwater reserves and is home to over 2,000 species.It is also the site of a bitter battle between the state, residents, and environmentalists trying to strike a balance between a population dependent on tourism and mass development infringing on a fragile ecosystem.On seeing...WW…

Berlin (CNN)German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday announced a as the country battles a sharp rise in new coronavirus infections.Almost all shops will be closed over the Easter period from April 1 to 5, and no more than five people over the age of 14 from two households can gather. Grocery stores would be allowed to open for one day only, on Saturday, April 3. The country's general lockdown measures will also be extended until April 18, Merkel said. Germans have been living under various levels of restrictions since mid-December.The country's public health authority on Tuesday reported...…Berlin (CNN)German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday announced a as the country battles a sharp rise in new coronavirus infections.Almost all shops will be closed over the Easter period from April 1 to 5, and no more than five people over the age of 14 from two households can gather. Grocery stores would be allowed to open for one day only, on Saturday, April 3. The country's general lockdown measures will also be extended until April 18, Merkel said. Germans have been living under various levels of restrictions since mid-December.The country's public health authority on Tuesday reported...WW…

By , , and , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — The fridges are here but the shots are not.Doctor Sibylle Katzenstein spent thousands kitting out her so she could administer as fast as possible, but she is yet to receive a single dose.“It would have been nice if I had at least 10 vaccines in my fridge. It cost me a lot of time and frustration and in the end these people who need it, they didn’t get vaccinated,” Katzenstein said.The general practitioner says she has no idea how to get her vulnerable patients vaccinated after repeatedly lobbying for shots and repeatedly being turned down....…By , , and , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — The fridges are here but the shots are not.Doctor Sibylle Katzenstein spent thousands kitting out her so she could administer as fast as possible, but she is yet to receive a single dose.“It would have been nice if I had at least 10 vaccines in my fridge. It cost me a lot of time and frustration and in the end these people who need it, they didn’t get vaccinated,” Katzenstein said.The general practitioner says she has no idea how to get her vulnerable patients vaccinated after repeatedly lobbying for shots and repeatedly being turned down....WW…

Minsk, Belarus (CNN)Thousands of mainly female peaceful protesters clutching white flowers and balloons lined the streets of Belarus's capital Minsk on Thursday, on the fifth day of demonstrations following the contested re-election of longtime .Authorities in say 6,700 people have been arrested and at least one person has been killed in the violent aftermath of the election, a contest that independent observers have criticized as neither free nor fair. The opposition showed no sign of backing down despite a brutal crackdown by security forces -- but it has changed strategy and...…Minsk, Belarus (CNN)Thousands of mainly female peaceful protesters clutching white flowers and balloons lined the streets of Belarus's capital Minsk on Thursday, on the fifth day of demonstrations following the contested re-election of longtime .Authorities in say 6,700 people have been arrested and at least one person has been killed in the violent aftermath of the election, a contest that independent observers have criticized as neither free nor fair. The opposition showed no sign of backing down despite a brutal crackdown by security forces -- but it has changed strategy and...WW…

By and , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — Public life changed considerably for most Germans on Monday as the became mandatory in many public spaces across the country.In an interior design store on the main shopping street of Potsdam, just outside of Berlin, all the customers were sticking to the new regulations.Store manager Carolin Hucke said the masks made both her and her patrons feel calmer. “I can tell that people are more at ease,” Hucke said while wiping shopping baskets with disinfectant, and adding, “they keep their distance and are more sensitive to the situation, but they...…By and , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — Public life changed considerably for most Germans on Monday as the became mandatory in many public spaces across the country.In an interior design store on the main shopping street of Potsdam, just outside of Berlin, all the customers were sticking to the new regulations.Store manager Carolin Hucke said the masks made both her and her patrons feel calmer. “I can tell that people are more at ease,” Hucke said while wiping shopping baskets with disinfectant, and adding, “they keep their distance and are more sensitive to the situation, but they...WW…

By , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — The vast brown rivers of sludge that gush into the sewage treatment plants across Germany may hold a key to early detection of any new wave of the coronavirus, scientists tell CNN.The is leading a trial that’s sampling wastewater from plants serving some of the largest urban areas and trying to find evidence of the coronavirus.The ultimate goal is for almost all sewage plants to install these coronavirus early warning systems so as to track the spread of Covid-19.“It would be the first test line,” said microbiologist Hauke Harms, one of the...…By , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — The vast brown rivers of sludge that gush into the sewage treatment plants across Germany may hold a key to early detection of any new wave of the coronavirus, scientists tell CNN.The is leading a trial that’s sampling wastewater from plants serving some of the largest urban areas and trying to find evidence of the coronavirus.The ultimate goal is for almost all sewage plants to install these coronavirus early warning systems so as to track the spread of Covid-19.“It would be the first test line,” said microbiologist Hauke Harms, one of the...WW…