The EU campaign to vaccinate Europeans against Covid-19 has got off to an uneven start in what will be a marathon effort to administer shots to enough of the bloc's 450 million people to defeat the viral pandemic.

Several EU nations were set to begin vaccinating their most vulnerable groups Sunday as a new coronavirus variant spread internationally and the WHO warned the current pandemic will not be the last

Britain and the European Union remained divided over competition and fishing on Wednesday as they tried to clinch a Brexit trade deal in time to avoid a turbulent split at the end of the year.

The United Kingdom stood shut off from the rest of Europe on Monday after allies cut transport ties over fears of a new coronavirus strain, sowing chaos for families, truckers and supermarkets just days before the Brexit cliff edge.

The European Union and Britain will return to the negotiating table on Monday after agreeing to abandon a supposed make-or-break deadline for a post-Brexit trade pact.

The European Union has urged China to release all journalists and citizens held in connection with their reporting, following the detention of a Bloomberg News employee.

Post-Brexit trade talks between the EU and UK reached a decisive point Monday, with the outcome highly uncertain and the threat of a wrenching "no-deal" divorce mounting by the hour.

European Union chief negotiator Michel Barnier resumed make-or-break Brexit talks with British counterpart David Frost in London on Saturday with the clock ticking for a deal on future trading arrangements.

European Union chief negotiator Michel Barnier will travel to London late on Friday in a last-ditch attempt to reach a Brexit trade deal as the two sides try to resolve significant differences over fishing and competition policy.

EU officials warned Europe to be ready for wider Covid restrictions as infections surged across the continent, France and Germany prepared curbs almost as strict as their spring lockdowns and cases soared across the United States.

European countries are looking at buying millions of Covid-19 rapid tests mostly from Roche and Abbott, an EU document shows, as global production of the tests is stretched by a surge in infections.

European Union foreign ministers failed to overcome a diplomatic standoff over Belarus on Monday despite an appeal by the country's main opposition leader to approve sanctions on officials accused of rigging the election last month.