Europe

GENEVA (AP) — The head of the World Health Organization said Monday the emergence of new COVID-19 variants has raised questions about whether or not existing vaccines will work, calling it “concerning news” that the vaccines developed so far may be less effective against the variant first detected in South Africa.

KIEV, February 8. /TASS/: Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has explained his country’s refusal to use Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus jab, saying that the vaccine allegedly has no proof of efficacy, while Ukrainian citizens "are not guinea pigs," he told reporters Monday.

MINSK, February 8. /TASS/: The united command of the regional force grouping of the Russia-Belarus Union State is holding a joint staff exercise in preparations for the Zapad-2021 (West-2021) strategic drills, the Belarusian Defense Ministry reported on Monday.

"On February 8-12, representatives of the armed forces of Belarus and Russia in the united command will practice measures at stationary command posts to use one of the options of employing the grouping of forces (troops) in an operation of the regional group of forces (troops)," the ministry said in a statement.

NOVO-OGARYOVO, February 8. /TASS/: Russian scientific workforce is becoming one of the youngest worldwide, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the Russian Council for Science and Education on Monday.

ST. PETERSBURG, February 8. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the energy launch of the world’s most powerful source of neutrons at St. Petersburg’s B.P. Konstantinov Institute of Nuclear Physics, affiliated with the Kurchatov Institute research center.

"I am asking you to put the reactor into energy operation," Putin told the participants in the launch ceremony in a video conference mode.

MOSCOW, February 8. /TASS/: Russia’s Su-57 fifth-generation multirole fighter received the cockpit with the maximum degree of automated processes, the United Aircraft Corporation (part of the state tech corporation Rostec) said in its New Horizons corporate magazine on Monday.

The Su-57 features the maximum automation of piloting and combat employment processes, which has helped specialists develop a one-seat multirole fighter, the publication says.

MOSCOW, February 8. /TASS/: Bitcoin rose in price by 11.8% to $43,800, according to CoinDesk on Monday. At the same time, at its peak, bitcoin reached $44,900. Thus, the value of the cryptocurrency has renewed its historical maximum.

As of 15:54 Moscow time, the cryptocurrency was trading above $42,000 mark. As of 16:38 Moscow time, bitcoin was at $43,700 (+12.6%).

NOVO-OGARYOVO, February 8. /TASS/: Three coronavirus vaccines developed by Russia are a major scientific achievement, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday at a meeting of the Council for Science and Education.

According to Putin, thanks to its scientists, Russia "has leading positions in the world" in developing coronavirus vaccines. "Moreover, we are the only country that already has three vaccines of its own, which are domestically developed," he said.

"Without a doubt, this is a major scientific achievement," the Russian president stressed.

ZURICH (Reuters) - The European Union will not reopen parts of a stalled bilateral treaty with Switzerland, the EU ambassador to the Alpine republic said in an interview with newspaper Blick, taking a hard line on Swiss misgivings over talks that have lasted years.

“What we won’t do is reopen the controversial dossiers,” Petros Mavromichalis told the Swiss newspaper. “The negotiations are done.”

SAINT-HERBLAIN, France (AP) — French pharmaceutical startup Valneva had big news in September: a government contract for 60 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine candidate.

The buyer? The United Kingdom — not the European Union, as might be expected for a company on the banks of the Loire.