Throngs of revellers filled The Levels bar in Uganda's capital Kampala, dancing to live music and ordering bottle service to their tables. It was a Monday night. Bars and night clubs have reopened nearly two years after the government shut them and banned other of forms of entertainment, part of strict measures to contain COVID-19.

Denmark, France, Ireland and the United Kingdom have lifted most pandemic restrictions despite soaring numbers of infections, but countries such as Germany and Austria have opted to maintain them. DW's Emmanuelle Chaze reports.

The tennis star is prepared to miss the French Open, Wimbledon and any tournament if they require jabs. He told the BBC that he is not against vaccines but wants "the freedom to choose what you put into your body."

Buckingham Palace has announced that Queen Elizabeth has tested positive for COVID-19

More than 6 million people around the world have died from COVID-related causes, according to the US Johns Hopkins University. Meanwhile, Hong Kong is struggling with a surge in cases.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has pointed to declining hospitalization and death rates as evidence it's time for "a new phase of the pandemic." State leaders have accused him of making unilateral decisions.

The Bundestag lifted the requirement to wear a mask in most places, despite a record number of coronavirus infections. The move has been criticized by the opposition Christian Democatic Union.

The EU is proposing to put nuclear power on its list of sustainable energy sources. But Austria is threatening to file a case with the Court of Justice of the European Union to get that text annulled. The country has never embraced nuclear energy and is even home to the world's only power station to have been built but never fired up. Austria produces more than 75 percent of its electricity from renewable energy and is a leader of anti-nuclear advocacy in Europe. Our correspondents report.

European countries such as Germany and Britain are now seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases from the more transmissible BA2 omicron variant. Meanwhile, Indonesia eased rules for tourists.

South Africa has eased rules on travel to the country, where the omicron variant was first identified in November. Meanwhile, China's most-populous city, Shanghai, reports record COVID-19 cases.

The omicron variant is driving case numbers in parts of China to levels not seen since coronavirus first emerged. But keeping case numbers at near zero means continued disruptions and lockdowns.

Even as it said Germany likely passed the peak of omicron infections, the Robert Koch Institute warned coronavirus cases remained high. Despite this, the country is considering relaxing quarantine rules.