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WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden said Tuesday he expects to hold a summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during a June trip to Europe. “That is my hope and expectation,” Biden said. Biden in April offered a meeting in a third country to discuss rising tensions over Russian sabre rattling around Ukraine, the treatment of jailed Putin opponent Alexei Navalny, and other flashpoints. A summit has not been confirmed but […]
SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — Singapore announced a slew of new coronavirus restrictions Tuesday including a ban on spectators at sporting events as infections rise in the wealthy city-state. After a partial lockdown and rigorous regime of testing and contact tracing, Covid-19 had almost disappeared in Singapore, with authorities in recent months reporting hardly any local transmission. But cases rose last week with officials announcing several new clusters, and in the last seven days 60 locally […]
by Sofia Miselem and Daniel Rook MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Mexico’s president on Tuesday promised an in-depth investigation to find those responsible for the deaths of at least 24 people in the collapse of an elevated metro train line with a history of problems. The vow came as emergency services in the capital worked to retrieve the bodies of victims still trapped in the wreckage of the carriages that plunged towards the ground on […]
BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — People who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will no longer have to abide by curfews and contact restrictions in Germany under a draft law agreed by the cabinet on Tuesday. They will also be allowed access to shops and other facilities without first providing a negative test result as is currently required of the rest of the population, Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht said while announcing the measures, which may come […]
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The UN rights office condemned Tuesday the “excessive use of force” by security officers in Colombia, after numerous deaths during days of protests against a proposed tax reform. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights voiced “profound shock” at the latest incident overnight in the city of Cali in which police are alleged to have “opened fire” on demonstrators, reportedly killing and injuring a number of people. […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — French Health Minister Olivier Veran on Tuesday defended the country’s staggered rollout of Covid-19 vaccines over the coming weeks, despite calls for making more adults eligible immediately as some doses go unused. Currently people aged 55 and older can get the jab, but several vaccination centres have reported a shortage of candidates and surplus vials in recent weeks. That has prompted some local officials to quietly offer vaccines to all adults […]
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — The European Medicines Agency said Tuesday it has started a “rolling review” of China’s Sinovac coronavirus jab, a process that could lead to eventual approval for the European market. Made by Sinovac’s Beijing-based Life Sciences unit, the vaccine contains an inactivated coronavirus that cannot cause a disease, but helps a person to develop antibodies against the virus. The EMA’s human medicines committee’s “decision to start the rolling review is based […]
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Pfizer sharply increased its projections for 2021 revenues and profits on Tuesday, citing much higher sales from its Covid-19 vaccine sales. The drugmaker now estimates 2021 revenues of $26 billion from the vaccine, up from $15 billion previously. Pfizer sees profits of between $3.55 and $3.65 per share, up 45 cents from the previous range. © Agence France-Presse
LIVERPOOL, United Kingdom (AFP) — Thousands danced without face coverings at a music festival in northern England as the UK government permitted the country’s first post-lockdown gig. A crowd of 5,000 people cheered, danced and sang along to performances from bands including English indie pop act Blossoms at the sold-out event on Sunday at Liverpool’s Sefton Park. The festival was part of a pilot project by the UK government called the Events Research Programme (ERP) […]
PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (AFP) — Papua New Guinea’s prime minister launched a nationwide coronavirus vaccine roll-out Tuesday, hoping to quell a runaway outbreak and counter widespread public hesitancy about jabs. James Marape said a batch of 100,000 vaccines had arrived in Papua New Guinea and would be distributed countrywide, as he urged sceptical health workers and the general public to get vaccinated. “We want to reduce and prevent deaths of our people,” he […]
by Jean Arce and Daniel Rook MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — An elevated metro line collapsed in the Mexican capital on Monday, leaving at least 23 people dead and dozens injured as a train came plunging down, authorities said. Carriages were seen hanging from the overpass in a tangle of twisted cables with the ends pointing towards the ground in a V-shape. “Unfortunately there are 23 deceased,” including minors, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum told […]
by Bhuvan Bagga with Agence France Presse Bureaus NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India’s coronavirus caseload topped 20 million on Tuesday as the relentless surge finally forced the suspension of the nation’s lucrative cricket competition involving some of the sport’s biggest global stars. The South Asian nation’s plight was in stark contrast to Europe and the United States, where mass vaccinations have allowed the easing of many coronavirus restrictions. More than 350,000 new cases […]
