Facebook and Instagram to ban false claims about coronavirus

Dresden's famous christmas market, the Striezelmarkt, has been around for centuries. This year, the planned opening was canceled due to the high incidence rate of coronavirus infections in the state of Saxony.

Many Facebook groups based in Mali and Nigeria began sharing a video of a helicopter on December 9, claiming it showed an aircraft delivering weapons to terrorists. In Mali, the posts often accused the French government of operating the helicopter, while posts coming from Nigeria laid the blame on the Nigerian government. In reality, the video is from neither one of these countries – it was filmed in the Central African Republic during a routine supply drop.

The shutdown was initiated over fears of the rapid spread of the omicron variant. Meanwhile, Germany's health minister has ruled out a lockdown before Christmas. Follow DW for the latest.

US coronavirus cases on the rise: Epidemiologist Peter Chin-Hong speaks to DW

The total number of omicron cases detected in Germany rose sharply with the latest figures, which were the first to provide testing results and data from a working day after the Christmas break.

Coronavirus shutdowns are ending across Africa. Officials don't view severe curbs as a suitable tool for containing the spread. Vaccinations alone won't cut it. Now, Africans are seeking a way to live with the virus.

Researchers say Epstein-Barr-Virus is a main cause of MS, which affects 2.8 million people worldwide. New treatments and prevention may now be possible.

Health officials are worried the sheer number of new infections will once again overwhelm the Himalayan country's fragile health care system.

Which COVID-19 vaccines work longest? And what are their advantages and drawbacks?

For the first time since inception in 2004, Facebook lost about 5 lakh users on a daily basis during Oct-Dec 2021. That saw the shares of its parent company, Meta, plunge 20 percent on the exchanges, wiping off $200 bn in market capitalisation.

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