German
Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel agree €500 billion coronavirus recovery plan for Europe
France and Germany proposed Monday a 500-billion-euro ($542-billion) fund to finance the recovery of the European Union’s economy from the devastation wrought by the coronavirus crisis. Putting aside past differences and seeking to prove that the Franco-German core of Europe remains intact, President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the unprecedented package after talks by video conference. European Central Bank head Christine Lagarde told major European newspapers that “the Franco-German proposals are ambitious, targeted and welcome.” With the European economy facing its biggest challenge since World War II, Macron also acknowledged that the EU had fallen short in its initial response to the virus and needed to coordinate more closely on health. Financed by “borrowin...
Club Brugge finally crowned Belgian league champions
Emmanuel Dennis’ Club Brugge have been finally crowned Belgian champions, with Gent joining them in the Champions League, while Charleroi, Antwerp and Standard Liege go into the Europa League. Waasland-Beveren are relegated to the second tier, while Beerschot VA and OH Leuven will play for promotion to the top flight in a playoff. If the playoff is not fulfilled before the start of 20-21 then KVC Westerlo will replace Waasland-Beveren as they already have a valid licence to play in the Pro League. Meanwhile in Germany, Werder Bremen, have announced just one day before the Bundesliga resumes that one of their players were quarantined. As per a club tweet, it comes as the result of ‘somebody in their personal circle’ testing positive for coronavirus. However, unlike the now-scrapped Italian ...
Chelsea still keen on signing RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner
Chelsea are maintaining their interest in RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner despite the fact that Liverpool are leading the race to sign the Germany international, 90min reports. The 24-year-old has enjoyed a superb season with Leipzig where he has scored 27 goals and registered 12 assists across all competitions. Out of those, 25 goals and seven assists have come in the Bundesliga, where he has helped his team keep up with Bayern Munich in the race for the Bundesliga title. In recent months, Jurgen Klopp’s side have been touted as the favourites to sign the German forward but they have yet to make an official approach to land his signature. Werner currently has a £52m release clause on his contract but the Reds are yet to trigger the value, given they are assessing the financial impact of th...
Electronic music pioneer passes on
Florian Schneider, the co-founder of pioneering German electronic band ”Kraftwerk”, has died of cancer. His death was confirmed by his friend, co-founder of Kraftwerk Ralf Huetter who said he died from a short cancer disease just a few days after his 73rd birthday. Schneider and Huetter founded Kraftwerk in 1970 after meeting at a music academy in Duesseldorf, Germany. They are widely recognised as among the first to popularise electronic music with commercial success. With mesmerising tracks like ”Autobahn”, their work has influenced generations of pop and dance musicians. Kraftwerk has been a major influence for musicians ranging from Detroit techno star Juan Atkins to pop act the Pet Shop Boys and David Bowie. Get more stories like this on Twitter
Nine Premier League clubs to allow stars miss project restart
Up to nine Premier League clubs will let their players skip Project Restart over fears they could infect their families with coronavirus. England’s top division is looking at a return date of June 12 as they attempt to conclude this season. But The Sun have reported that nearly half of the league’s teams have conceded forcing players back into action while the virus is active will be impossible. A source told the publication: “If someone has a partner who’s pregnant, or close family who has cancer, how can we force them to play in those circumstances?” It is understood that teams from across the table are concerned with player safety and one team has told stars they do not have to play. One club who will be without key players should football return is Aston Villa, with manager Dean Smith ...
