The coronavirus pandemic has affected sports across the globe, and in Spain, it could wipe out the age-old sport of bullfighting altogether.
Why it matters: For years, an increasingly vocal contingent of Spaniards have been pushing for the end of what they see as "torturing animals as a form of spectacle." Now, the economics are such that the bullfighting industry could die out regardless of the opposition.
A Russian court sentenced on Monday American businessman Paul Whelan to 16 years in prison on spying charges, the AP reports.
The state of play: Whelan, a 50-year-old corporate security executive and Marine Corps veteran, was arrested in Moscow in December 2018. He and his brother, David, argue the charge is political and that he was set up.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron both pushed back on Sunday against calls from Black Lives Matter protesters to remove colonial-era statues — with Johnson insisting you can't "photoshop" history.
Why it matters: Weeks of anti-racism protests triggered by Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the U.S. and across the world have brought to the fore the racist legacy of the colonial past of several countries.
A court in the Philippines has convicted Maria Ressa, chief of the news site Rappler, of cyber libel in a trial that has been closely watched because of its implications for press freedom in the country.
Driving the news: Ressa and co-defendant Reynaldo Santos Jr were sentenced to between six months to six years in prison, but were granted bail pending appeals that could ultimately come before the supreme court. Ressa and Rappler have drawn the ire of strongman President Rodrigo Duterte for their critical coverage.
France will reopen its borders with other European countries at midnight on Monday after three months of travel restrictions intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The big picture: The European Commission has recommended countries in the Schengen Area lift internal border restrictions by Monday and eliminate some essential travel requirements. But several countries that border regions with hot spots are exercising more caution, AP reports.
Ukrainian law enforcement officials announced on Saturday that they were offered $5 million in bribes to end a probe into Mykola Zlochevsky, the founder of energy company Burisma, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: Nazar Kholodnytsky, the head of Ukraine’s national anti-corruption bureau, stressed that the bribe had no connection to former Burisma board member Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned "racist thuggery" after far-right groups clashed with police in central London on Saturday.
Driving the news: The groups turned out after a social media callout to "protect the monuments" targeted by Black Lives Matter protesters, who canceled an official demonstration because of the "counter-protest," per the Telegraph. London police said over 100 people were arrested following clashes in Parliament Square. Police said Sunday morning they had arrested a suspect on suspicion of outraging public decency after images circulated of a white man urinating on a memorial to an officer who died stopping a terrorist outside the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament in 2017.
