TOP HEADLINES

· Czechia's new government has scrapped mandatory vaccines for over-60s and key workers in some professions, with the country's health minister describing the previous administration's plan as "nonsense from the start."

The rule, which was supposed to come into effect in March for the elderly as well as health and care workers, police officers and firefighters, was dismissed by Prime Minister Petr Fiala's new center-right government as daily cases hit a record high in the country.

"We see no reason for compulsory vaccination. We do not want to deepen the divides [in the country]," Fiala said at a press conference on Wednesday.

· Hollywood star John Malkovich was turned away from a luxury hotel in Venice after failing to present a valid vaccination pass, Italian news media reported Wednesday.

Local newspaper Il Gazzettino reported the Dangerous Liaisons star, was in Venice for two days of filming for U.S. television series Ripley.

Because his mandatory vaccination card had expired,  Malkovich was denied entry to his luxury suite at the Hotel Danieli overlooking the Grand Canal, the paper wrote.

· Northern Ireland will cut the self-isolation period following a positive test from seven to five days from Friday, First Minister Paul Givan said on Twitter.

The change reflects the latest medical evidence, policymakers said, and is expected to combat staff shortages.

· The British Medical Association (BMA) has warned that lifting all COVID-19 restrictions in England risks a resurgence in infections, more people ending up in hospital and more cases of so-called Long COVID.

Chaand Nagpaul, the BMA's chair of council, said in response to Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement yesterday, that the PM "risks creating a false sense of security when the levels of infection and illness remain high and the NHS is still under crippling pressure."

· Russia reported 33,899 new infections over the past 24 hours. The country also posted a further 698 deaths on Wednesday. Russia has the world's second-highest death toll from the virus (estimated to be more than 670,000), behind only the U.S.

· France had 436,167 new cases yesterday. This follows its record daily tally for the pandemic of 464,76 infections on Tuesday.

Despite this, French Prime Minister Jean Castex will announce a detailed timetable later on Thursday regarding a possible easing of restrictions in France, said government spokesman Gabriel Attal.

· Hana Horka, 57, a Czech folk singer, died on Sunday after deliberately exposing herself to COVID-19, her family said. 

She had wanted to prove recovery from the coronavirus so she could obtain a health pass to visit venues.

Horka, vocalist for the band Asonance, voluntarily exposed herself to the virus when her vaccinated husband and son caught it before Christmas, her son Jan Rek told public radio iRozhlas.cz. "She decided to continue to live normally with us and preferred to catch the disease than to get vaccinated," Rek said.

Her son blamed the death on a local anti-vaccine movement, saying its leaders had "blood on their hands."

· Denmark reported a record high of 38,759 new infections in the past 24 hours.

It comes after Denmark on Monday ended restrictions on cinemas, museums and cultural institutions.

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