Washington, USA | Xinhua | U.S. business groups have many unanswered questions over President Joe Biden’s sweeping vaccine mandates to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed over 700,000 Americans. Biden, who prioritized handling the pandemic after assuming office, announced last month sweeping new federal vaccine requirements …
Read More »Uganda to open shelter for stranded girls in UAE
Dubai, UAE | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni has said that the government of Uganda is to open a shelter in the United Arab Emirates-UAE to shelter girls that get stranded in that country after being trafficked. Museveni made the pronouncement after discussions with the executive leaders of Ugandans …
Read More »Covax misses its 2021 target
What’s gone wrong in the fight against vaccine nationalism and hoarding of vaccines by rich countries? | RORY HORNER | The latest supply forecast for Covax – the programme for sharing COVID-19 vaccines around the world – suggests that accelerating vaccination in low-income countries looks unlikely. Covax estimates it will …
Read More »First official EgyptAir flight lands at Israel airport
Jerusalem, Israel | Xinhua | A first-ever commercial flight of Egypt’s flagship carrier EgyptAir landed in Israel on Sunday after taking off from Cairo, according to a report by Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news. EgyptAir’s new route will include four weekly round-trip flights between Cairo International Airport and Ben Gurion Airport …
Read More »Philippines’ Duterte says he will retire from politics
Manila, Philippines | Xinhua | Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced Saturday that he will not run for vice president in the 2022 elections as he had promised earlier, and will instead retire from politics. “Today, I announce my retirement from politics,” Duterte, 76, told journalists. Concerning his surprise announcement, Duterte, …
Read More »Townsend’s second-half strike earns Everton point at Old Trafford
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Andros Townsend scored for the second successive week to earn Everton a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford, as Manchester United were denied the chance to go top of the Premier League. Townsend, who scored for Crystal Palace at the same venue last season, converted …
Read More »Pandemic-delayed Expo 2020 Dubai opens to public
Dubai, UAE | Xinhua | Following a year-long delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the much-awaited Expo 2020 Dubai opened its doors to visitors here on Friday. Under the theme of “Connecting Minds and Creating the Future,” about 200 exhibitors are vying to present their best at the 438-hectare …
Read More »Majority of Germans want Scholz to form coalition with Greens, FDP
Berlin, Germany | Xinhua | Unlike before the Bundestag elections, about 59 percent of German citizens were now in favor of a governing coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens and the liberal party FDP, according to the Politbarometer published by public broadcaster ZDF on Friday. By contrast, …
Read More »French ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of illegal financing in election campaign
Paris, France | Xinhua | Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced to one year in prison for illegally financing his election campaign in 2012, a court in Paris announced on Thursday. Sarkozy was found guilty of having spent almost twice the legal limit on his reelection bid. He has denied …
Read More »FAO calls on countries to reduce food losses
Rome, Italy | Xinhua | The director-general of the Rome-based United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Wednesday called for countries to redouble efforts to halve food waste by the end of this decade. The organization estimated that around 14 percent of the world’s total food production is lost between …
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