TOP HEADLINES

- Unvaccinated people in Italy will no longer be allowed inside restaurants and onboard domestic flights as of today, unless they've recently recovered from COVID-19. The new restrictions come into place as students go back to school after the winter holiday.

- Germany has announced it will study the reliability of rapid antigen tests in detecting the Omicron variant, as early data suggest the tests are less sensitive to it than others variants.

- Spain will introduce rules to limit the retail price of antigen tests in an attempt to mitigate shortages reported in many pharmacies across the country last month. "The debate we had before and during the Christmas season was the supply of tests, there was a bottleneck," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in an interview with Cadena SER radio station on Monday. "Now, we will get into the control of the prices of tests."

- The UK is looking into reducing the isolation time for those who test positive for the coronavirus from seven to five days, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday, although he said the government will follow the science. Johnson also warned that the number of people hospitalized with the virus is rising.

- Pregnant women in the UK have been urged to get a first and second dose of the vaccine, as data revealed that almost all pregnant women hospitalized with the virus are unvaccinated.

- Thousands protested in Belgium on Sunday against what they called a "vaccine dictatorship." Police arrested 11 suspects carrying fireworks and 30 people accused of throwing "projectiles" at riot officers, according to police.

- Protests also took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the first anti-vaccination movement in the country.

- French politician Stephane Claireaux, a member of President Emmanuel Macron's ruling La Republique En Marche party, was attacked over the weekend by protesters demonstrating against the government's restrictions and health pass, he said on Monday.

Last week, Macron said he wanted to "p*** off" unvaccinated people by making their lives so complicated they would end up getting the vaccine.

- Tennis star Novak Djokovic won his case against the Australian government, overturning the cancellation of his visa and ending five days of detention. A judge ordered Djokovic to "be released immediately and forthwith from immigration detention," and for the Australian government to pay for the unvaccinated champion's legal team.

But it's not certain yet that the Serbian world number one men's player will be able to compete at the Australian Open, which begins on January 17, as the Australian government counsel, Christopher Tran, said the immigration minister might consider cancelling Djokovic's visa again.

- Hungary's daily cases could surge to a new peak of more than 13,000, with deaths reaching 200 a day, as Miklos Kasler, minister for human resources and healthcare, warned late on Sunday.

Kasler also said the Hungarian government will look into offering a fourth dose of the vaccine as the Omicron variant continues to spread in the country.

- Sweden will introduce more restrictions as the rising number of cases threatens to overwhelm the country's hospitals, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said on Monday.

"The situation has deteriorated, without doubt. The level of infections in Sweden is at a historically high level," Andersson told a news conference.

FROM OUR GLOBAL COLLEAGUES

CGTN Europe: Tennis star Djokovic thanks supporters as Australian minister says he's 'free to leave'

CGTN China: COVID-19 hit Tianjin ensures supply of essential goods

CGTN America: U.S. COVID-19 cases surpass 60 million: Johns Hopkins University

CGTN Africa: Saudi Arabia reports 3,460 new COVID-19 cases