China has intensified COVID-19 restrictions in Xi'an and rolled out a fifth round of mass testing, as the city announces record high daily infections since the start of the pandemic.

Australia must move past "the heavy hand of government" and authorities must stop shutting down people's lives with COVID-19 lockdowns, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday

Britain's GuardianBritain's Guardian newspaper on Sunday published a picture of Prime Minister Boris Johnson alongside his wife and up to 17 staff partying in the Downing Street garden during lockdown in May 2020. newspaper on Sunday published a picture of Prime Minister Boris Johnson alongside his wife and up to 17 staff partying in the Downing Street garden during lockdown.

Austria's partial coronavirus lockdown will end next week as planned but unvaccinated people will still face restrictions, the country's chancellor says.

Across most of Europe the weather has turned colder and wetter. Concern is growing that the coronavirus will thrive this winter, leading to nationwide lockdowns and even greater financial misery.

India is enforcing a full weekend lockdown to deal with an air pollution that is soaring to deadly levels in New Delhi.

Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg has said the lockdown will initially last for 10 days, with the police checking people on the streets to make sure they are vaccinated.

The nationwide lockdown, which came into effect at midnight on Sunday, prohibits unvaccinated individuals older than age 12 from leaving their homes.

To stem the growing tide of Covid-19 deaths and infections, authorities in Russia are moving to introduce tougher restrictions from next week, including shutting down all non-emergency businesses.

Restrictions and communication blockade continues in Kashmir for second day after the region's iconic leader passed away.