ZUZANA CAPUTOVA

The Slovak government has approved a two-week national lockdown amid a record surge of coronavirus infections.

Slovakia’s leaders have proposed a national lockdown as hospitals across the European Union country are hitting their limits amid a record surge of coronavirus infections.

Coronavirus cases have soared to a new record high in Slovakia, with some hospitals having to move COVID-19 patients elsewhere in the country because they couldn’t take any more.

The U.N. General Assembly is unfolding this week under a thundercloud of deep pessimism.

Slovakias prime minister and his government resigned to end the political crisis triggered by a secret deal to buy Russias Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine. (Pavel Neubauer/TASR via AP)BRATISLAVA – Slovakia's Prime Minister Igor Matovic and his government resigned on Tuesday to ease a political crisis triggered by a secret deal to buy Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine. I hope that we will continue to work together for Slovakia.”Heger served as the finance minister and deputy prime minister in the outgoing government. AdThe crisis erupted when a secret deal came to light at the beginning of March involving Slovakia’s agreement to acquire 2 million doses of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. The populist prime minister orchestrated the deal despite disagreement among his coalition partners.

A party in Slovakias ruling coalition has completed its withdrawal from the government amid a political crisis triggered by a secret deal to buy Russias coronavirus vaccine. A crisis erupted when a secret deal came to light three weeks ago involving Slovakias agreement to acquire 2 million doses of Russias Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine. The political crisis erupted when a secret deal came to light three weeks ago involving Slovakia’s agreement to acquire 2 million doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine. AdMatovic has defended the Sputnik V purchase, saying it would speed up the vaccination program in one of the EU's hardest-hit countries. The pro-business Freedom and Solidarity party, which withdrew from the coalition until Matovic resigned, said it was ready to return to the government.

Prime Minister Igor Matovic, front, announces the resignation of Health Minister Marek Krajci, left, in Bratislava, Thursday March 11, 2021. Sulik resigned from his deputy prime minister post on Monday. Sulik said on Thursday his party is withdrawing from the coalition until Prime Minister Igor Matovic resigns. The populist prime minister orchestrated the deal despite disagreement among his coalition partners. Matovic indicated he was willing to step down on condition he would assume a deputy prime minister post instead.

(AP Photo/Yara Nardi, pool)BUDAPEST – Pope Francis will travel to Hungary's capital in September where he will participate in the closing Mass of a multiday, international Catholic gathering, according to the cardinal of Hungary's Roman Catholic Church. Francis will instead visit on the final day of the eight-day 52nd Congress in Budapest on Sept. 12, he said. Ad“Today we can perhaps learn the most from Pope Francis, and not only about faith and humanity. Traveling back to the Vatican from a trip to Iraq on Monday, the pope told Italian media that following his visit to Budapest he may visit Bratislava, the capital of neighboring Slovakia. While that visit isn't confirmed, Slovakia's president, Zuzana Caputova, said she had invited the pontiff to visit during a meeting in the Vatican in December.

Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic, right, and Health Minister Marek Krajci at Kosice Airport, Slovakia, Monday March 1, 2021, as Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine arrives. Hard-hit Slovakia signed a deal to acquire 2 million dozes of Russias Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine. The country's prime minister says Slovakia will get one million shots in next two months while another million will arrive in May and June. The crisis was triggered by a secret deal to acquire Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine orchestrated by the country’s prime minister despite disagreement among his coalition partners. Remisova met Sulik and other leaders — including another critic of the Sputnik V deal, President Zuzana Caputova — over the crisis Wednesday.

Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic, right, and Health Minister Marek Krajci at Kosice Airport, Slovakia, Monday March 1, 2021, as Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine arrives. Hard-hit Slovakia signed a deal to acquire 2 million dozes of Russias Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine. The country's prime minister says Slovakia will get one million shots in next two months while another million will arrive in May and June. (Frantisek Ivan/TASR via AP)PRAGUE – Slovakia was thrown into a political crisis Tuesday over a secret deal to acquire Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine orchestrated by the country’s prime minister despite disagreement among his coalition partners. Its leader, deputy Prime Minister Veronika Remisova, repeatedly said that Sputnik V can't be used unless approved by the EU’s drug regulator.

(Frantisek Ivan/TASR via AP)PRAGUE – Slovakia has become the nation with most COVID-19 deaths by size of population in the world amid a surge of cases from a highly contagious coronavirus variant. AdEarlier this month, the Slovakian government announced the fast-spreading coronavirus variant first found in southern England had become dominant in the Central European country. Researchers have also found that the variant dominant in the U.K. is also more deadly than the original virus. AdAnother 111 people died in Slovakia of COVID-19 on Monday for a total of 6,063 in the nation of 5.4 million. Majdan said mathematical models suggest that between 9,000 and 11,000 might die of COVID-19 in Slovakia by June, if the current trend continues.

Reaction from around the world to the storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump:___“A fundamental rule of democracy is that, after elections, there are winners and losers. ——“The rampage at the Capitol yesterday was a disgraceful act and it must be vigorously condemned.” — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This is a historic turning point for the United States, and it is an attack on liberal democracy as a whole. — Donald Tusk, former European Union leader, former prime minister of Poland. Democracy presupposes peaceful protest, but violence and death threats —from Left or Right— are ALWAYS wrong.” — Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa.

They arrived a day before South Korea halted air travel from Britain until Dec. 31 to guard against the new version of the virus. South Korea on Monday registered 808 new coronavirus cases, raising its national caseload to 57,680 with 819 deaths. ___BALTIMORE — The U.S. has now topped 19 million coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, data compiled by Johns Hopkins University shows. ___ZAGREB, Croatia — A 81-year-old care home resident on Sunday became the first person to receive COVID-19 vaccine in Croatia. ___SEOUL, South Korea __ South Korea has decided not to immediately enforce its toughest distancing rules in the greater Seoul area despite a surge in fresh infections.

But it was also a public chance for them to urge Europe's 450 million people to get the shots amid continued vaccine and virus skepticism. The Los Olmos home suffered two confirmed COVID-19 deaths and another 11 deaths among residents with symptoms who were never tested. After he got his shot, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis declared Sunday “a great day for science and the European Union." Germany’s BioNTech has said it’s confident that its vaccine works against the new U.K. variant, but added that further studies are needed. The European Medicines Agency on Jan. 6 will consider approving another vaccine made by Moderna, which is already being used in the United States.

___SPRINGFIELD, Illinois — The number of COVID-19 cases worldwide has topped 80 million. ___ATHENS, Greece — Greek health authorities announced 262 new infections from the coronavirus over the 24 hours ending Saturday afternoon. ___MOSCOW — Russia’s Health Ministry has allowed a domestically designed coronavirus vaccine to be given to people older than 60. All four of the infected people are in good health, authorities said. Japan had 3,823 new cases Friday for a national total of 213,547, with 3,155 deaths, the health ministry said.

(AP Photo/Petr David Josek)PEZINOK A panel of judges in Slovakia on Thursday acquitted a businessman accused of masterminding the 2018 slayings of an investigative journalist who had written about him and the journalist's fiancee. The judges cleared the businessman, Marian Kocner, and one co-defendant of murder in the killings of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, Martina Kusnirova, both 27. Judge Ruzena Sabova at the Specialized Criminal Court in Pezinok said there was not enough evidence for the convictions. The parents of Kuciak and Kusnirova left the courtroom before the reading of the sentence was completed. Former soldier Miroslav Marcek pleaded guilty to shooting Kuciak and Kusnirova and was sentenced to 23 years in prison in April.