Several central European countries are struggling to cope with a new wave of coronavirus after reporting record high numbers of cases. 

The Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland have all seen a spike in cases, with the latter recording 17,260 new infections on Wednesday – the highest since late November. 

The data is increasingly alarming.

The UK’s Covid case numbers are now amongst the lowest in Europe low with 1,140 new cases per million over the last 14 days.

The Czech Republic is the highest with more than 15,000. 

Pressure remains on European countries to speed up the vaccination process, with delays blamed AstraZenica pharmaceuticals for not supplying member states. 

Myanmar security forces react to workers’ strike

Mass arrests of striking workers are being carried out across Myanmar.

In protest to the military coup, several unions called on their workers to strike but those workers are now facing extreme methods of intimidation from Myanmar’s security forces.

Forces in Yangon have raided a neighbourhood which is home to many striking railway workers.

Threatening use of firearms and orders to shoot at protesters have been reportedly criticised by a number of officers themselves, who fled to the border rather than carry out such acts of violence.

Russia faces a twitter slowdown after ‘banned content’ 

Russia’s media watchdog has slowed down the speed of Twitter after the US media failed to remove 3,000 posts related to suicide, drugs and pornography.

The Russian media watchdog says they are concerned about the banned content on Twitter. 

The slowing down will be applied to Twitter photos and videos but not text.

Twitter is the fifth largest social media platform in Russia.

Hospitals close to collapse in Brazil due to rising Coronavirus cases 

Due to the rising number of Coronavirus cases in Brazil, 80% of ICU beds are occupied in 25 of its capitals out of 27. 

Currently after the US, Brazil has recorded the second highest number of deaths and the country also has the highest number of confirmed cases. 

Experts suggest that the Brazilian Variant is highly contagious and despite the rising number President Jair Bolsonaro has not implemented stricter COVID measures. 

On Tuesday, 1,972 Covid cases were recorded and a total of more than 266,000 deaths have occurred since the beginning of the pandemic; as a result the ICU capacity has been exceeded in both Porto Alegre and Campo Grande.