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.

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.

Most people in Germany support the government's coronavirus policies. But a small, yet vocal, minority rejects vaccinations, masks and distancing rules — and denies the existence of the virus. The conflict has changed Germany's social climate.

The WHO chief has urged countries to ramp up testing to accurately reflect global transmission trends. Meanwhile, Mexico said it is transitioning from pandemic to endemic.

Websites belonging to Italy's Defense Ministry and Senate are among several hit by a hacking group, which also claimed responsibility for a recent cyberattack on German government websites.

World number one Novak Djokovic claimed his first title in over six months after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-0 7-6(5) to win the Italian Open on Sunday. Djokovic did not drop a set en route to the final in Rome, having picked up his 1,000th tour-level victory by beating Casper Ruud in the semi-final to book a clash with Tsitsipas - a repeat of last year's French Open final, which the Serb won.

An Italian factory that works in conjunction with the Ukrainian steelworks Azovstal is currently at a standstill, as steel from Ukraine is no longer arriving. But just down the road, a factory partially owned by a Russian oligarch is operating at full capacity, using Russian steel. Our correspondents report from northern Italy. But first, the United States has cut off the last remaining financial route for Russia to pay off its debts to US bondholders by allowing a waiver to expire.

Italians poured into the streets and squares of Rome in massive numbers on Wednesday as the A.S. Roma soccer team defeated Feyenoord to win the Europa conference league final.

After some short-lived optimism that the worst of the COVID pandemic might be over, health experts are warning that the peak of the seventh wave has yet to arrive.

In the southern French city of Nîmes, the passion for Ancient Rome is more alive than ever. For the past decade, the city has been holding the Great Roman Games show every spring. Legionaries, centurions and gladiators invade the city and bring its incredible Roman monuments back to life: in particular the arena, where the Great Games are organised. Thousands of people, young and old alike, turn out to be transported back to the Rome of Julius Caesar.

Giorgia Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy triumphed in Sunday’s general election, has succeeded in channelling both the aspirations of conservative voters and resentment of Mario Draghi’s unelected government, without fully renouncing her party’s neo-fascist roots.