UK coronavirus variant detected in at least 60 countries

The UK coronavirus strain has been detected in at least 60 countries, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, 10 more than a week ago.more

Germany has extended and tightened its national lockdown despite slowly declining case numbers and the Netherlands and Denmark are expected to follow suit as concern mounts about new, more contagious variants of Covid-19.more

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday pardoned 73 people, including his former aide Steve Bannon and other allies, just hours before he was due to leave office.more

Spain is in favor of introducing passports for people vaccinated on Covid-19 in European Union countries, said Spanish Industry, Trade and Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto at the Executive Council of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in Madrid.more

The new variants of the coronavirus mean that we have not yet won with the pandemic and we are still a long way from that, said EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides during a debate in the European Parliament. more

Penalties imposed for violations of the GDPR are increasing. In 2020, the data protection authorities of EU Member States decided to impose fines totaling EUR 159 million. In Poland, the Office for Personal Data Protection decided on penalties in the total amount of EUR 1.7 million. more

With the spread of the more contagious British variant of the coronavirus in France, the High Council of Public Health (HCSP) recommends avoiding the use of home-made fabric face masks. more

Low temperatures and snowfall have hit much of Europe. The frosts caused icing on many roads, Istanbul was covered with snow, and the winter attack did not spare the Balkans. In the Czech Republic, mercury levels fell below 20 degrees C at night, and in Germany, snow caused car accidents. more

A new variant of the coronavirus first identified in South Africa is more contagious than earlier versions, experts said on Monday, but there is no evidence that it is more deadly.more

US President-elect Joe Biden's spokeswoman says the US will maintain travel bans on the UK, much of the EU and Brazil - despite an order from President Donald Trump to lift them.more

The Norwegian government decided yesterday to loosen the severe coronavirus restrictions in force since the beginning of January. From Wednesday, the Norwegians will be able to receive up to five guests in their homes.more

Researchers warn that depression, stress, and bad habits can adversely affect the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination. To prevent this from happening, they recommend exercise and good sleep.more

The Capitol complex in Washington DC was briefly locked down after a security alert, two days before Joe Biden is inaugurated as US president. Police say they acted out of an abundance of caution after witnesses reported smoke rising nearby. The fire was several blocks away.more

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus calls for increased access to Covid vaccines in the world's poorest countries, saying that only "25 doses have been given in one lowest income country." more

W Hiszpanii rozpoczęły się szczepienia drugą dawką szczepionki przeciwko Covid-19. Do dzisiejszegoego południa objęły one osiem z 17 wspólnot autonomicznych kraju. Tymczasem rząd Pedra Sancheza potwierdził rano mniejszą dostawę szczepionek od firmy Pfizer.more

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, condemned the detention of Alexei Navalny by the Russian authorities and called for the release of the oppositionist. "Detaining political opponents is contrary to Russia's international obligations," said the head of the European Commission. The British Ministry of Foreign Affairs also referred to the matter. more

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said new information could indicate that the coronavirus pandemic originated in a laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. This is to be indicated by the cases of scientists from the center in autumn 2019.more

The Russian opposition leader was detained immediately after landing in Moscow from Germany.more

The National Institute of Health (SZU) said over the weekend that a coronavirus mutation detected in the UK may have appeared in the Czech Republic, more infectious than the current variant. SZU has 10 samples, which it tests for this angle. The results are to be known this week. more

France is "very reluctant" to approach the European vaccine passport project, said Secretary of State for European Affairs Clement Beaune, but polls around 60% of French support the idea. more

In the media coverage on SARS-CoV-2, information about a new "mutation", "variant" or "strain" of the coronavirus appears alternately. The meaning of these terms is strictly defined and not synonymous - points out prof. Piotr Rzymski from the Medical University of Poznań. more

The death toll of the earthquake that hit the Indonesian Pacific island of Celebes on Friday rose to 56, local authorities said today. Many people still refuse to return home, and the risk of coronavirus infections is increasing in temporary camps. more

In his early days in power, Joe Biden intends to reverse some of the most controversial decisions of his predecessor Donald Trump, said Ron Klain, who is expected to be White House chief of staff in the new administration. more

The world must look for a better way to deal with online speech than allowing tech oligopolies to take control of fundamental freedoms, assessed the British weekly Economist. more

The animal damaged several boxes of goods in the container. The cat gnawed them so as not to starve to death. A cat from Ukraine came to Israel in a closed metal container with sweets. It miraculously survived three weeks, eating nothing but sweets.more

Britain's more contagious mutation of the coronavirus will dominate the U.S. by March, warns the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Cases of this mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus have already been detected in 10 US states.more

Another royal couple has received the COVID-19 vaccine! On Jan. 15, it was announced that King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden had received their first dosage. The news was shared on the Kungahuset Instagram, and it included a photo of the King getting his jab.more

The Spanish government announced yesterday that the record for daily coronavirus infections has been broken in the last 24 hours - over 40,000. At the same time, the center-left cabinet refused the right to announce a lockdown to the regions applying for tightening the restrictions.more

Last year was by a narrow margin the hottest ever on record, according to Nasa, with the climate crisis stamping its mark on 2020 through soaring temperatures, enormous hurricanes and unprecedented wildfires.more

Experts explain that the side effects Israelis are experiencing after their second dose of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine – such as fatigue, headaches and muscle aches – are our immune system at work.more

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signed the Dpcm of January 14, 2021 containing the measures to combat and contain the emergency from Covid-19. At the same time, Italy lifts quarantine for EU travelers who tested negative for Covid.more

In Italy, separation applications increased by 60 percent in the past year of lockdown and quarantine, the national association of divorce lawyers reported. This is explained by "being forced to stay" under one roof. more

The whole Dutch government collectively resigned on Friday after a scandal involving the mismanagement of childcare funds, which drove thousands of families into financial hardship.more

About 50,000 restaurants in Italy will open as usual on Friday evening, despite the corona measures. Under the motto ‘IoApro1501’ (I open January 15), catering businesses are protesting against the forced closure of their company. “It’s a matter of survival,” say the initiators.more

Governments across Europe announced tighter and longer coronavirus lockdowns this week over fears about a fast-spreading variant first detected in Britain, with vaccinations not expected to help much for another two to three months.more

Preterm births are more common in pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2 compared with the percentages in the general pregnant population, according to an analysis of data from two large registries.more

Soldiers took up positions in the U.S. Capitol in a scene reminiscent of Civil War deployments as Washington braced for the inauguration of a new president and a vote to impeach the current one.more