News Archives for World - 2021-04-30

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World

Blasphemy law abuse: EU parliament adopts resolution calling for review of Pakistan’s GSP+ status

The resolution was adopted unanimously with 681 Member of European Parliaments (MEPs) voting in favor of this resolution while 3 against it.
It calls on the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to immediately review Pakistan’s eligibility for GSP+ status and whether there is sufficient reason to initiate a procedure for the temporary withdrawal of this status.

Updated 30 Apr, 2021 10:09pm

Europe

WHO expects assessment of Moderna and two Chinese vaccines by end of next week

Simao said the WHO's independent panel was assessing the Moderna vaccine and a vaccine from China's Sinopharm on Friday and was due to look at China's other main vaccine, made by Sinovac Biotech, next week.
"So, by the beginning of next week or the end of next week we will have the final assessment of these three vaccines out," she told a briefing.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 08:37pm

Africa

South Africa regulator says J&J shot can be given to pregnant women

The South African health ministry said SAHPRA had previously said pregnant and breast-feeding women should be excluded from a local research study evaluating the J&J vaccine's efficacy.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 08:36pm

Europe

Spain extends AstraZeneca dose gap to 16 weeks, beyond EU approved limit

The EMA's approval for the vaccine is based on the second dose being administered between four and 12 weeks after the first. A 16-week interval has not been tested in any human trials.
Spain's state-backed Carlos III Health Institute is investigating the effects of giving Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine to patients who already received an AstraZeneca shot.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 08:29pm

USA

Stimulus checks boost US consumer spending in March

Consumer spending increases 4.2% in March.
Personal income jumps 21.1%.
Core PCE price index gains 0.4%; up 1.8% year-on-year.
Labor costs rise 0.9% in first quarter; wages up 1%.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 08:21pm

South Asia

China's migrant workforce shrinks by 1.8pc in 2020 amid pandemic

A stream of rural workers migrating to cities in search of better jobs and lives has underpinned China's economic growth and urbanisation in the past four decades.
The number of migrants working outside their home provinces fell 2.7% to 169.59 million, while those working in their home provinces fell 0.4% to 116.01 million, the survey showed.

Updated 30 Apr, 2021 08:07pm

USA

Canada records C$282.56 billion budget deficit over first 11 months of 2020/21

"The unprecedented shift in the government's financial results reflects the severe deterioration in the economic situation and temporary measures implemented," it said in a statement.
On a monthly basis, Canada posted a deficit of C$14.37 billion in February 2021, compared to the C$3.58 billion surplus recorded in February 2020.

Updated 30 Apr, 2021 08:05pm

Europe

Greece eyes 3.6pc economic growth this year, 6.2pc in 2022- stability plan

The stability programme's forecast is in line with the European Commission's projection in February, which sees the Greek economy growing by 3.5% this year.
The expanding economy will help bring unemployment down to 10.5% by 2024 from a projected 14.6% this year.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 06:46pm

USA

US consumer spending, income rebound in March

Consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of US economic activity, increased 4.2% last month after falling 1.0% in February, the Commerce Department said on Friday.
Personal income jumped 21.1% after declining 7.0% in February. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast consumer spending increasing 4.1% and income surging 20.3%.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 06:22pm

USA

With 14.4 million unemployed, Brazil's joblessness highest on record in Feb

According to IBGE, the jobless rate was 14.4% in the three months ending Feb. 28, up 2.7 percentage points from the same three-month period a year ago, when it was 11.6%.
Some 85.9 million Brazilians had work in February, IBGE said, stable from the prior three-month period, although still down 8.3% or 7.8 million people from the same period a year earlier.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 06:20pm

Europe

EU hits Apple with music streaming charge in boost for Spotify

EU says Apple distorts competition in music streaming.
Preliminary finding is a victory for Spotify.
Apple says EU view is 'opposite of fair competition'.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 06:13pm

Europe

Erdogan says Turkey expects more COVID-19 vaccine supplies soon

Turkey has so far been using vaccines developed by China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd and by Pfizer and BioNTech .
It has carried out nearly 23 million inoculations, with 13.7 million people, or 16% of the population, having received at least one dose.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 06:05pm

Europe

Spain ups 2021 deficit target, looks to avoid austerity in coming years

Spain upped this year's budget deficit estimate from an initial 7.7%, but at 8.4% it would still be an improvement on 2020's 11-year high of 11%, after the economy shrank in the first quarter due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The gap should further narrow in 2022 to 5%, then 4% in 2023 and finally to 3.2% in 2024, she said, meaning that Spain does not plan to meet the 3% threshold earlier than 2025.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 06:03pm

Europe

England's COVID-19 R number estimate inches up

An R value between 0.8 and 1.1 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 8 and 11 other people. It compares to an estimated range of 0.8 to 1.0 last week.
The health ministry said the latest daily growth rate of COVID-19 infections was between -4% to -1%, compared to -5% to -1% last week.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 06:00pm

South Asia

Indian states run out of COVID-19 vaccines, nationwide inoculation delayed

Financial capital suspends vaccine campaign for three days.
Since the end of February, India added about 7.7 mln cases.
Adding the prior 7.7 mln took six months.
Vaccine producers have struggled to boost capacity.
Supplies arrive from Britain, Ireland, Romania and United States.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 05:09pm

Europe

Erdogan says he does not expect results from next UN-led Cyprus talks

"I don't trust or believe in Greek Cypriots. They have never acted honestly," Erdogan told reporters after Friday prayers in Istanbul. "Now it's been pushed back 2-3 months, but I again don't believe any result will be achieved, because they are not honest," he said.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 05:06pm

South Asia

Thailand to receive 3.5mn more doses of Sinovac vaccine in May

One million doses will arrive on May 6 and two million more are due by the end of May, said Witoon Danwiboon, head of the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO).
Health authorities reported 1,583 new cases and 15 more deaths on Friday and said 250 patients were on ventilators.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 05:03pm

Europe

Portugal's first-quarter tourist arrivals slump 92pc amid COVID curbs

Earlier on Friday, the statistics office showed Portugal's tourism-dependent economy contracted 3.3% in the first quarter from the preceding three months.
Overnight stays by Britons, one of the country's biggest foreign markets, fell 94% from a year ago, the INE said.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 04:58pm

USA

Mexico economy grows 0.4pc in 1st quarter, beats expectations

The seasonally-adjusted advance in gross domestic product (GDP) compared with the median forecast of a Reuters poll of analysts for an increase of 0.1% from the prior quarter.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 04:53pm

Europe

Pfizer and BioNTech request EU to approve vaccine for 12 to 15 year olds

Pfizer and BioNTech will be seeking approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to approve their coronavirus vaccine for use on 12-15 year olds.
The companies articulated that the children will continue to be monitored for longer-term protection and safety for an additional two years.

Updated 30 Apr, 2021 05:19pm

South Asia

IPRI hosts webinar on "The Way Forward for Afghanistan"

On Thursday, the Islamabad Policy Research Institute organised a webinar on "Has the Forever War Ended? The Way Forward for Afghanistan.
The webinar discussed the implications of the Biden Administration's decision to withdraw military forces by September this year.

Updated 30 Apr, 2021 01:57pm

World

AstraZeneca expects higher H2 sales as Q1 sales, earnings beat forecasts

Including $275 million in COVID-19 vaccine sales.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 11:17am

World

South Korea's Moon to visit Biden on May 21

The meetings reflect Biden's priority on relationships with Asian allies as his administration continues to focus on competition with China.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 11:01am

World

UN Security Council concern over mercenary dispersal from Libya

Tensions were high between the United States and Russia during Thursday's meeting, diplomats told AFP, because of the Wagner Group, a paramilitary organization with ties to Moscow that the Americans have tied to Chadian rebels.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 10:58am

World

Israel pilgrimage stampede kills at least 44

The army and emergency services deployed helicopters to evacuate the wounded.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 10:52am

World

Palestinian polls postponed until Jerusalem voting guaranteed: Abbas

Abbas critics had charged that he would use the Jerusalem issue to buy time as Fatah's political prospects deteriorated.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 10:49am

World

North Korea defectors defy South to launch anti-Kim leaflets

But civilian groups in the South, mainly led by defectors, continued their activities, raising fears of retaliation among locals living along the frontier.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 10:48am

World

Surge in insider attacks in Afghan army as Americans prepare to go: US govt

Some contractors are crucial to keeping the Afghan military's aircraft flying, the report noted.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 10:42am

World

Worldwide Covid-19 cases pass 150 million: AFP tally

150.3 million cases have been declared since the virus was first discovered in China in December 2019.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 10:40am

World

Kyrgyzstan says death toll in clashes with Tajikistan rises to 13

The knotting, twisting frontiers left several communities with restricted access to their home countries.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 10:39am

World

US aid arrives in India as Covid cases explode

"It is an unprecedented situation," Shringla said.

Published 30 Apr, 2021 10:37am

World

Who will pay for the energy transition?

LONDON: The transition from a fossil-fuel dominated energy system to one with zero emissions would require trillions...

Updated 30 Apr, 2021 10:33am

World

European Parliament approves defence fund

BRUSSELS: EU lawmakers on Thursday approved a 7.9-billion-euro defence fund billed as an important step in ...

Updated 30 Apr, 2021 10:33am

Europe

Four killed in Germany care clinic attack

BERLIN: Four people have been killed and one person seriously wounded in an attack at a care clinic in Germany,...