Cases of domestic violence in London rose sharply during the coronavirus lockdown of March 2020. This is suggested by an index, newly calculated by the ifo Institute, based on searches for certain terms on the internet. “This index shows an increase in cases of domestic violence that is seven times higher than that recorded by police statistics,” says Helmut Rainer, Director of the ifo Center for Labor and Demographic Economics.

A pedestrian raises his face mask as he walks past a wall mural urging citizens to wear masks properly in order to raise awareness about the Covid-19 coronavirus in Mumbai on January 9, 2022. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

On the first anniversary of the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive that started on January 16, 2021, Dr Kutub Mahmoood, Scientist and Virologist from Washington, DC told ANI that vaccination is the strongest weapon, adding that the pandemic cannot go on forever, and its end is pretty near.

Tourists posing for photos with their mobile phones on a beach on Thailand's Phi Phi Don island. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

The important role that tourism will play in the recovery of national economies and global trade has been highlighted in the 2022 edition of the World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) report by the United Nations. Drawing on data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), WESP underlines the sector’s importance for the world economy and particularly for developing economies, including Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

UN Photo / Gregorio Cunha

The UN Central Emergency Response Fund will allocate record high USD 150 million this year to support humanitarian operations in 13 countries in different regions of the world, UN Humanitarian Office Spokesman Jens Laerke said on Friday during a briefing.

Medical staff members tend to a Covid-19 patient at the intensive care unit of Cremona hospital, in Cremona, northern Italy, on January 11, 2022. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is a "dangerous virus" particularly for those who are unvaccinated, World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.

LEHTIKUVA / AFP

Election of the new head of the European Parliament are scheduled for January 18, as planned, even despite President David Sassoli's death, and his first deputy, Roberta Metsola, will take the seat until then, the press service of the parliament said in a statement.

European Parliament President David Sassoli photographed while holding a speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, 15 December 2021. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

The President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, has died in Italy due to a dysfunction of his immune system, according to a tweet from his spokesman early Tuesday (local time), reported CNN.

A member of the public receives a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine inside a vaccination centre set up at Grim's Dyke Golf Club in north west London on December 26, 2021. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

Emphasising that the Omicron variant is infecting both vaccinated and unvaccinated people worldwide, WHO Chief Scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan has said that it appears that vaccines are still proving to be effective because even though the numbers are going up exponentially in many countries, severity of the disease has not surged to a new level.

A woman undergoes a free rapid antigen test for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) at a testing centre in a metro station in Moscow on November 11, 2021. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

The Food and Drug Administration in the US has said that rapid antigen tests are less sensitive for detecting Omicron variant infections.

"Early data suggest that antigen tests do detect the omicron variant but may have reduced sensitivity," FDA said in a statement on Tuesday (local time).

An Ambulance crew work in the back of an ambulance parked outside the Royal London hospital in London on December 28, 2021. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

The overall risk related to the new variant of concern Omicron remains "very high", the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday as the world continues to witness the surge in global COVID-19 cases.