The United Kingdom on Saturday announced that all travelers would be required to submit a negative coronavirus test before boarding a flight, regardless of vaccination status.
Why it matters: The move comes amid fears that the newly-identified Omicron variant possesses enough mutations to evade immune systems and drive up a new wave of infections.
At least 13 people are dead and dozens are injured after Indonesia's Mount Semeru erupted, the country's National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) said in a statement Sunday.
Driving the news: At least 41 people suffered burn injuries from the eruption, according to the agency. The lava flow has also displaced more than 900 residents, with about 300 taking refuge in "educational facilities and village halls."
European countries are doubling down on pressure campaigns to get people vaccinated just as Republicans continue to wage war — often successfully — against vaccine mandates in the U.S.
Why it matters: The starkly different approaches create a sharp contrast between the regions' approaches to vaccination, even as the Omicron variant rapidly spreads around the world.
Two years ago Wednesday, the first case of a mysterious new respiratory disease was discovered in Wuhan, China. Now, the Omicron variant has deepened concerns about just how much longer the coronavirus pandemic will last.
The big picture: More than 5 million people have died since that first case. Most people on earth have lived through some form of lockdown. 54% of the global population has had at least one vaccination, though the shots have been distributed unevenly.
The Biden administration is "deeply concerned" by new intelligence — detailed for Axios and other outlets — showing Russia stepping up preparations to invade Ukraine as soon as early 2022.
Why it matters: Most of this was known from public sources and satellite imagery, but the administration is sending a stronger signal by releasing specific details from the intelligence community.
A large eruption occurred at Mount Semeru in Indonesia on Saturday, killing at least one and injuring dozens more as a huge ash cloud descended over the region, Reuters reports.
Driving the news: The eruption occurred at around 4:25 p.m. local time and produced "a large pyroclastic flow (hot avalanche of ash and rock particles) that traveled down the southern slopes, as well as producing an ash column that rose to estimated 40,000 ft. altitude," according to Volcano Discovery.
