Following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s appeal for France to send back refugees who crossed the Channel, France’s interior minister has canceled discussions with UK Home Secretary Priti Patel. Gérald Darmanin, in an escalation of the political situation following the deaths of 27 people in the Channel, claimed the letter had disappointed France.

“Making it public exacerbated the problem.” In a letter to President Emmanuel Macron, Mr. Johnson outlined five ways to avoid a repeat of Wednesday’s tragedy. Mr. Darmanin said in a statement that the British prime minister’s public letter was “inappropriate” and “contrary to our partner negotiations.”

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The European Union is proposing a 9-month validity limit for Covid-19 immunizations for travel into and within the bloc, as well as prioritizing vaccinated travelers.

According to a document reviewed by Bloomberg, the European Commission is proposing that member states continue to welcome all tourists who have been inoculated with EU-approved vaccines. It also asked for countries to reopen as of Jan. 10 to all people who had used World Health Organization-approved vaccines. On Thursday, EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders unveiled a new internal EU travel framework based on individuals’ immunization or recovery status rather than caseloads in the countries from which they are traveling.

On Thursday, a second notification will be made about the external travel rules. The proposed changes establish a new time restriction for the validity of Covid inoculations, indicating that boosters will be required after the 9-month term has passed. The EU, on the other hand, stated that it was not prepared to propose a validity period for certifications given as a result of booster shots.

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Police have confirmed that a bomb blast at a maternity hospital in Liverpool on Remembrance Day was a terrorist attack. The UK is relieved that a major accident has been averted due to the coordinated intervention of a taxi driver. The bomber struck shortly after noon in front of a taxi driver’s car, detonating a small car bomb, killing only the attacker.

Four people have so far been taken into police custody in connection with the incident. Police confirmed that the incident was a terrorist attack and did not disclose further details.

Monday was Britain’s Remembrance Day, commemorating those who lost their lives in World Wars I and II. The assailant first instructed the taxi driver to go to the cathedral where the ceremony was being held. Halfway through the traffic heavy traffic the passenger shifted to the destination. He was asked to return the car to Liverpool Maternity Hospital. The suspected driver got out of the car as soon as he reached the hospital.

The driver, suspicious of the passenger’s actions, locked the car from the outside. Within seconds the car exploded with a loud bang. The terrorist, who was trapped in the car, was killed in the blast. The driver was hospitalized with minor injuries. People and police in Liverpool are relieved that the horrific suicide bombing was averted without major disasters.

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Belarus’ actions in the rising migrant crisis on its border with Poland have been denounced by Western members of the UN Security Council. 

They accused Belarus of manipulating the migrants to destabilize the European Union’s eastern border in a harsh statement.  Belarus’ primary partner, Russia, has denied the allegations.  If fresh sanctions are applied, Belarus’ autocratic leader has vowed to cut off the gas supply to Europe.

Thousands of migrants, largely from Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, have set up camp near the Polish border, braving the cold in the hopes of entering the EU. There are mostly young men among the migrants, although there are also women and children.

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After record illnesses were reported across the country, Austrians are days away from the country’s first lockdown for anyone who isn’t completely vaccinated.

If the federal government approves, the province of Upper Austria will implement limitations beginning Monday. New measures are also being considered in Salzburg. A countrywide lockdown for the unvaccinated, according to Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg, is “definitely inevitable.”

He claimed that two-thirds of the population should not suffer because others were hesitant. Upper Austria, with a population of 1.5 million people and borders Germany and the Czech Republic, has the highest infection rate and the lowest vaccination rate in the country.

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