A firefighter works to extinguish a wildfire at Casais do Vento in Alvaiazere on July 10, 2022. Around 1.500 firefighters were mobilized to put out three wildfires raging for more than 48 hours in central and northern Portugal, as the country was hit by a heat wave that prompted the government to declare a "state of contingency". (PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP) OURÉM, Portugal …
Firefighters scramble to put out flames in Portugal, Spain
A firefighter works to extinguish a wildfire at Casais do Vento in Alvaiazere on July 10, 2022. Around 1.500 firefighters were mobilized to put out three wildfires raging for more than 48 hours in central and northern Portugal, as the country was hit by a heat wave that prompted the government to declare a "state of contingency". (PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP) OURÉM, Portugal …
EU: Adapted, two-strain vaccines to lift COVID-19 protection
A woman receives a shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a temporary inoculation center at the Tate Modern in central London on July 16, 2021. (TOLGA AKMEN / AFP) WASHINGTON / PRAGUE / LOS ANGELES / FRANKFURT – A European health emergency official on Wednesday said adapted versions of established mRNA COVID-19 vaccines that address two variants in one shot will soon offer people …
Why world’s first malaria shot won’t reach millions of children
In this Oct 30, 2009 file photo, a mother holds her baby receiving a new malaria vaccine as part of a trial at the Walter Reed Project Research Center in Kombewa in Western Kenya. (KAREL PRINSLOO / FILE / AP) LONDON / KISUMU, Kenya – After decades of work, the World Health Organization endorsed the first-ever malaria vaccine last year – a historic milestone that …
Former US envoy to UN admits to planning foreign coups
In this Sept 30, 2019 file photo, former US national security adviser John Bolton gestures while speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. (PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS / AP) WASHINGTON – John Bolton, a former US ambassador to the United Nations and former White House national security adviser, said on Tuesday that he had helped plan attempted coups in foreign countries. Bolton …
Ukraine joins NATO’s program of technological cooperation
Apartment buildings damaged during fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces stand in Severodonetsk, in the territory which is under control of the Government of the Luhansk People's Republic, in eastern Ukraine, July 12, 2022. (PHOTO / AP) KYIV – Ukraine has become an associate member of the Multilateral Interoperability Program (MIP), which coordinates technological cooperation of the armies of NATO member states, the country’s defense …
Trump incited Jan 6 attack after White House meeting, panel told
Former US President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference 2022 in Orlando, Florida, on Feb 26, 2022. (CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) WASHINGTON – US lawmakers on Tuesday accused Donald Trump of inciting a mob of followers to attack the US Capitol on Jan 6, 2021, in a last-ditch bid to remain in power fueled by a chaotic meeting with some of his …
Former senior US official admits to planning attempted foreign coups
In this Sept 30, 2019 file photo, former US national security adviser John Bolton gestures while speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. (PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS / AP) WASHINGTON – John Bolton, a former US ambassador to the United Nations and former White House national security adviser, said on Tuesday that he had helped plan attempted coups in foreign countries. Bolton …
Eight candidates make cut in race to succeed UK PM Johnson
British Conservative Party Member of Parliament Rishi Sunak launches his campaign for the Conservative Party leadership, in London on July 12, 2022. (ALBERTO PEZZALI / AP PHOTO) LONDON – Eight Conservatives will fight it out to succeed Boris Johnson as party leader and British prime minister after winning enough nominations from their colleagues to go through to the first round of voting on Wednesday. Sunak …
WHO: COVID-19 pandemic ‘nowhere near over’
This picture taken on April 15, 2020 shows a sign of the World Health Organization (WHO) at the entrance of their headquarters in Geneva amid the COVID-19 outbreak. (PHOTO / AFP) GENEVA – The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is "nowhere near over" as the number of new cases worldwide has risen by 30 percent in the last two weeks, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday. …
Pfizer, Moderna COVID-19 jabs ‘infringe new Alnylam patent’
A healthcare professional prepares a dose of COVID-19 vaccine for health and social care workers at the Life Science Centre at the International Centre for Life in Newcastle upon Tyne, northeast England, on Jan 9, 2021. (OWEN HUMPHREYS / POOL / AFP) WASHINGTON / PRAGUE – Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc escalated its patent fight with Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc over their COVID-19 vaccines on Tuesday, …
OECD sees global corporate tax overhaul on course for 2024
OECD Secretary General Mathias Cormann speaks during a ministerial meeting at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development at the OECD headquarters in Paris on June 9, 2022. (STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP) PARIS – The biggest overhaul of cross-border tax rules in a generation is now on course to take effect in 2024, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said on Monday in …
Jill Biden chided for saying Latinos as unique as ‘breakfast tacos’
First Lady Jill Biden watches as Marine One carrying US President Joe Biden lands on the South Lawn of the White House upon Biden's return to Washington, DC on June 30, 2022. (MANDEL NGAN / AFP) US first lady Jill Biden's attempt to compliment Latinos flopped on Monday when she said they were as unique as "breakfast tacos," prompting criticism from across the political spectrum. …
Putin, Erdogan discuss Ukraine situation over phone
A handout photograph taken and released on Sept 29, 2021 by the Turkish Presidential Press service shows Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) speaking with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after their meeting at the Russian Official Residence of Presidency in Sochi. (MUSTAFA KAMACI / TURKISH PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE / AFP) MOSCOW/ROME – Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the development of bilateral economic cooperation, and the …
Moderna to advance two Omicron vaccine candidates
This file photo taken on June 4, 2021 shows a vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy in Paris, France. (STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP) ROME / TUNIS – Moderna Inc said on Monday it was advancing two Omicron vaccine candidates for the fall, one designed against the BA.1 variant and another against the BA.4 and BA.5. Vaccine makers including Moderna and rival …
France’s PM Borne survives no-confidence vote in parliament
France's Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne speaks during a debate on a motion of censure filed by the New Popular Ecological and Social Union party at the French national assembly in Paris on July 11, 2022. (ALAIN JOCARD / AFP) PARIS – French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Monday comfortably survived a motion of no-confidence brought against her by a broad alliance of left-wing opponents. An …
New UK PM to be announced on Sept 5, tax dominates contest
A Union Flag flies in front of the clock face on Elizabeth Tower, commonly known by the name of the bell Big Ben, at the Palace of Westminster on Jan 5, 2022. (JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP) LONDON – Britain's new prime minister will be announced on Sept 5, with the first votes to begin eliminating candidates in a crowded and increasingly unpredictable and divisive contest …
Ships get older and slower as emissions rules bite
Vessels are parked along the anchorage near Pasir Panjang terminal port in Singapore on June 6, 2022. (ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP) LONDON – If shipping is the beating heart of global trade, its pulse is about to get slower. Faced with uncertainty about which fuels to use in the long term to cut greenhouse gas emissions, many shipping firms are sticking with ageing fleets, but …
British Foreign Secretary Truss enters prime minister race
Britain's Foreign Secretary Liz Truss arrives at 10 Downing Street, to attend Cabinet Meeting, in London, June 14, 2022. (ALBERTO PEZZALI / AP) LONDON – British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss entered the race to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister on Monday, taking the number of candidates in an increasingly bitter and unpredictable contest to 11. Truss, who has held ministerial jobs in a number …
Official: EU backs second COVID-19 booster for over-60s
A picture taken on June 16, 2021 in Brussels shows a passeport behind a mobile phone whose screen bears a EU Digital COVID-19 certificate. (KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP) BRUSSELS/LONDON – European Union health agencies on Monday recommended a second COVID-19 booster for everyone over 60, as well as medically vulnerable people, amid a new rise in infections and hospitalisations across Europe. While existing coronavirus vaccines …