TOP HEADLINES

· Italy's government is set to extend the requirement for a "green pass" (showing proof of vaccination, a negative test result for COVID-19 or evidence that the holder has recently recovered from COVID-19) on all transport - including trains, buses, planes and ships. The new move is opposed by far right-wing party Lega, but is likely to be finalized next week.

· Around 200,000 people in Paris and other French cities protested against France's mandatory health pass, for the third weekend in a row of demonstrations against President Emmanuel Macron's new restrictions to curb the coronavirus.

· Companies such as Uber, Bolt and Deliveroo will offer vouchers or discounts to those under-30s in the UK who can prove they've received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The initiative hopes to boost demand for vaccination from younger age groups.

· Italy is also set to fix a ceiling price on COVID-19 rapid tests for those who don't have the "green pass," with the idea of helping those who can't or won't get vaccinated, especially young people, to comply with new regulation. At the moment, the price of a rapid test is different from region to region, and can range from $18 to $60.

· Meanwhile, hackers have forced the shutdown of the IT systems of the company which manages the COVID-19 vaccination program for the Lazio region surrounding Rome in Italy. All systems had been deactivated, including those of the region's health portal and vaccination network, an official said, and warned the inoculation program could suffer a delay.

· Russia reported 22,804 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, including 2,484 in Moscow, taking the official national tally since the pandemic began to 6,288,677. The government coronavirus task force said 789 people had died of coronavirus-linked causes in the past 24 hours, pushing the national death toll to 159,352.

· Experts in the UK warned that devices monitoring oxygen levels on COVID-19 patients work less well on people with darker skin - sometimes overestimating oxygen levels. It is an issue we reported on back in March.

· Hundreds of people in Tel Aviv protested against Israel's new COVID-19 restrictions introduced as cases and hospitalizations increase in the country. After reporting the highest number of new infections since March, Israel has reintroduced mandatory mask-wearing indoors and the use of the "green pass" to enter for restaurants, gyms and hotels.

ACROSS EUROPE 

Iolo ap Dafydd in London

As the number of new COVID-19 cases slows down in the UK, so is the uptake of vaccinations among young people.

According to government figures 67 percent of those under 29 years of age have received their first jab. 

The media report that ministers have conceded privately they'd prefer to see more than 80 per cent vaccinated. That would deter the need for vaccine passports for nightclubs, an idea that's been mooted for weeks. 

To entice them, young adults could be offered free taxi rides, pizzas and trips to the cinemas if they agree to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Vouchers or discount codes of possibly £10, would be sent to those who can prove they have just received their first jab. Details of the scheme are still being finalized.

In the past 24 hours Britain reported 26,144 new cases of COVID-19 - the number of cases between July 25 and July 31 was 33 percent down on the previous seven days. 

Almost 47 million people have received one dose of a vaccine and just over 38 million have been double-jabbed.

Hungary

More than 1,000 nurses in Budapest gathered to demand better pay on Saturday, as many consider leaving the country for better-paid positions elsewhere when lockdown measures are lifted.

Hungary is already struggling with a shortage of medical staff. According to Zoltan Balogh, chairman of the Chamber of Hungarian Healthcare Professionals, around 400-500 nurses leave Hungary every year.

In October, Hungary's parliament passed a healthcare bill which raised wages for doctors, but left nurses' salaries mostly unchanged.

The new law also asked healthcare staff to choose between working in the public or the private sector. Following the law, nearly 4,000 professionals quit the public health system.

Germany

Germany, which has had one of the lower case-rates in the EU recently, reported 2,097 cases on Sunday, taking the overall total to 3,771,262, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases.

Among measures intended to stop the country seeing the sharp surges in cases seen in some other European countries, unvaccinated travelers arriving in Germany will be required to present a negative COVID-19 test result in order to be allowed into the country.

This measure was previously limited to those flying into the country, but has now been expanded to people entering by road, rail or sea.

Children under the age of 12 are exempt from the testing requirement.

FROM OUR GLOBAL COLLEAGUES

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CGTN Europe has been providing in-depth coverage of the novel coronavirus story as it has unfolded.