20,000 paramedics, ambulance drivers and support staff have gone on strike in England and Wales as a standoff over pay deepens. Unions are calling for better wages to deal with double-digit inflation. PM Rishi Sunak, meanwhile, is defending his government's plans to enforce minimum service levels in certain sectors, even during union-led walkouts.

The Security Council has called for the "full, equal, and meaningful participation of women and girls in Afghanistan," after the Taliban barred women from working in NGOs and attending universities.

Authorities in at least seven districts in Guangzhou announced lifting temporary lockdowns. State media also cited a top official as saying the virus was weakening.

As widespread protests break out across China, we take a closer look at the impact of the zero-Covid policy on workers, businesses and the economy, by speaking to Professor Chang-Tai Hsieh of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

China is sticking to a zero-Covid strategy to stamp out virus clusters, but harsh lockdowns have battered the economy. The government mouthpiece has called on Beijing to stay the course.

According to the German authorities, all persons are now permitted entry to cafes, bars, restaurants, museums, theatres, shopping centres, as well as other public places and large events without being required to hold a valid vaccination, recovery, or test certificate.

The Biden administration has announced the easing of curbs imposed by Donald Trump on travel to Cuba and on remittances that immigrants can send to people on the island.

From June 1 and for the following three months, those entering Germany will not have to proof of vaccination, a negative test result or demonstrate a recent recovery from the coronavirus.

At the start of April, Germany lifted most of its COVID restrictions. Entertainment and hospitality venues are banking on an upswing after two years of the pandemic, which saw earnings in the sector slump by 40%.

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.

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.