TOP HEADLINES

· Airlines could use new the EU's new coronavirus certificates this summer before allowing passengers onboard, EU justice commissioner Didier Reynders has said. The proposed travel pass would hold information on vaccination, tests or recovery.

· France has suspended all flights to and from Brazil due to fears over the coronavirus variant discovered there. French Prime Minister Jean Castex said the situation was "getting worse" and the decision would remain in place "until further notice."

· The European Commission is seeking clarification from Johnson & Johnson about its "completely unexpected" announcement of delays to deliveries of vaccines to the EU.

· Spain and Real Madrid footballer Sergio Ramos has tested positive for the coronavirus as he recovers from injury. 

· The Netherlands is set to delay its easing of lockdown restrictions due to continued high infection rates – up 6 percent from the week before – putting pressure on hospitals. Authorities had hoped to reopen outdoor cafes and restaurants next week.

· Coronavirus infections and deaths will start to rise again as restrictions ease, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said, stressing that the rapid drop in fatalities was largely down to a three-month lockdown, not the vaccination roll-out. His statement comes as the UK started offering a first shot of the coronavirus vaccine to over-45s as the roll-out of Moderna's jab gets under way in England.

· Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel has justified her decision to push parliament for temporary powers enabling her government to bring in "emergency brake" lockdowns around the country as necessary to curb a third wave of infections.

· Scotland will ease some restrictions for domestic travel and outdoor meetings 10 days earlier than expected, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said. From April 16, people will be allowed to travel anywhere within the country to see family and friends for outdoor meetings.

· Music stars J-Lo, H.E.R. and the Foo Fighters are set to star in a streamed concert to raise money for coronavirus vaccines.

· Norway will ease some restrictions from Friday, allowing more people to gather in private homes, Prime Minister Erna Solberg has announced. The change will not affect those in areas where the infection rate is high, such as in the capital region. 

· Europe has passed the 1 million deaths mark. The World Health Organization warned that the world was "in a critical point of the pandemic," with infections rising exponentially despite global efforts to combat the virus. 

· The highly contagious variant first identified in the UK – now the most common strain in the U.S. – does not cause as severe a disease in hospitalized patients as was initially feared, according to a new study in The Lancet medical journal.

· Russia will restrict flights to and from Turkey from April 15 to June 1. Turkey has recorded a dramatic rise in coronavirus cases, with the government drawing up new tougher restrictions to combat a "third peak."

· Austria's health minister Rudolf Anschober is quitting after a year in the job, saying he was overworked and exhausted managing the coronavirus crisis.

AROUND EUROPE

Toni Waterman in Brussels

On Tuesday, the court of appeals in Brussels will begin reviewing a case brought by the League for Human Rights on the legality of COVID-19 measures. A lower court ruled in March that measures taken by ministerial decree were illegal and that all restrictions had to be lifted within 30 days. The Belgian state has asked the appeals court to overturn that decision. The appeals court is expected to make its ruling by the end of the month. 

Also on Tuesday, general practitioners in the Brussels region will be able to start administering vaccines to patients at home if they are unable to travel to vaccination centers. Given the time-consuming nature of home visits, the plan is to use the Johnson & Johnson jab, which is expected to be available in Belgium from next Monday. 

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Ross Cullen in Paris

The first drive-in vaccination center has opened in France, near Montpellier in the south of the country. The "Vaccidrive" can carry out 1,000 vaccinations a week for people, without them needing to leave their cars to get the jab. 

More than 11 million people in France have now had at least one vaccination. On Monday, 492 people were admitted to hospital with the virus, an increase on the 298 who were taken in for treatment one week previously. 

This week, France is set to pass the mark of 100,000 coronavirus deaths. The French government is considering banning people coming into the country from Brazil, which has the second-highest death toll in the world after the U.S..

Rahul Pathak in Madrid

Spain will start taking delivery of 300,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson's Janssen single-dose vaccine on Wednesday.

It's the fourth coronavirus vaccine to be approved for use in Spain, but is the first to only require one injection.

Spain's health ministry says the jabs will initially be given to people aged between 70 and 79.

In total, the government says more than 10 million doses of coronavirus vaccines have been administered since its immunisation program began.

Around 15 percent of the population has had at least a first injection. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says he wants that figure to rise to 70 percent by the summer. 

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CGTN Europe has been providing in-depth coverage of the novel coronavirus story as it has unfolded. Here you can read the essential information about the crisis.