Already essentially shut out by a government that critics said has used the COVID-19 pandemic to stifle the press, 28 Hungarian media outlets demanded greater access to hospitals for journalists covering the crisis to report on a surge of cases and deaths. The request wasn’t granted.

Not running for re-election, her government engulfed in scandals and conflicts of interest around the purchase of COVID-19 masks, Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is rewriting ethics rules.

Two members of the ruling party in Germany's Parliament have been accused of profiting from COVID-19 mask deals that brought calls for closer scrutiny of lobbyists' dealings with politicians.