BEIJING — A Chinese health official says around 200 million people, or 14.29% of the population, have been vaccinated for COVID-19 so far.
The emphasis has been on front-line workers, university students and people living in border areas. China is ramping up vaccination efforts after a slow start, prompted in part by the near elimination of domestic transmission.
MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday sternly warned the West against further encroachment on Russia's security interests, saying Moscow's response will be “quick and tough.”
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The fatal shooting of a knife-wielding Black teenage girl by police in Columbus, Ohio, came within minutes of the verdict in George Floyd’s killing — causing outrage by some in the community over the continued police use of lethal force.
LONDON (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II has expressed her thanks for all the “support and kindness” shown following the death of her husband, Prince Philip.
In a statement Wednesday posted on social media on her 95th birthday and which she personally signed off as Elizabeth R, the monarch said it has been “a comfort” to “see and to hear all the tributes to my husband" from within the U.K., the Commonwealth and around the world.
BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers voted Wednesday on a proposal by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government to mandate uniform restrictions in areas where the coronavirus is spreading too quickly, while thousands of protesters gathered a on a nearby street.
The legislation to apply an “emergency brake” consistently in areas with high infection rates is intended to end the patchwork of measures that has often characterized the pandemic response across highly decentralized Germany’s 16 states.
LONDON (AP) — After the aborted attempt to form a European Super League, Liverpool owner John Henry attempted to regain the trust of fans with an apology video on Wednesday.
The same public contrition was yet to come from all six of the Premier League clubs who faced two days of fury from their supporters for deciding — briefly — to abandon the UEFA system to join a largely closed breakaway European competition.
LONDON (AP) — European Union officials unveiled proposals Wednesday for reining in high-risk uses of artificial intelligence such as live facial scanning that could threaten people's safety or rights.
LONDON (AP) — Households in Britain, especially poorer ones, are far more likely to have suffered a severe income shock during the coronavirus pandemic over the past year than their counterparts in France and Germany, a well-respected British-based think tank said Wednesday.
The Resolution Foundation also said that households in the U.K. are also more likely to have run up more debt in response to the financial shockwaves emanating from the pandemic.
Tax season will be coming to a close later than usual this year, due to the May 17 extended deadline. Until that time, you might hear advertisements from car dealerships urging you to bring in your refund or pandemic stimulus check to buy a new car. Given that the average tax refund issued in 2020 was $2,741, according to the IRS, it is a solid amount that people often use to make major purchases.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court on Wednesday rejected a claim by victims of Japanese wartime sexual slavery and their relatives who sought compensation from Japan's government.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said the conviction of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd “can be a giant step forward” for the nation in the fight against systemic racism. But he declared that "it's not enough.”
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An upcoming international peace conference that was meant to move Afghanistan's warring sides to a power-sharing deal and ensure an orderly U.S. exit from the country has been postponed, its sponsors announced Wednesday, citing a lack of prospects for meaningful progress.
The decision came several days after Taliban insurgents, who are key to peace efforts, dismissed the U.S.-promoted conference in Istanbul as a political spectacle serving American interests.
N'DJAMENA, Chad (AP) — Rebels in Chad threatened to depose the son of the country's slain president after he was named interim leader of the central African nation, raising the specter Wednesday of a potentially violent power struggle.
Uncertainty prevailed early Wednesday over how far the rebel column was from N'Djamena, a city of 1 million people, and whether the military would remain loyal to Mahamat Deby Itno in the aftermath of his father's death after three decades in power.
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Wednesday donated a religious offering to a Tokyo shrine viewed by China and both Koreas as a symbol of wartime aggression, though he avoided a visit.
Suga’s offering of “masakaki” leaves at Yasukuni Shrine was his second since taking office in September.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The president of the ethnically divided island nation of Cyprus met with Greece’s prime minister on Wednesday before informal talks to be held in Switzerland next week.
The Geneva talks will be attended by representatives of Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots, the three guarantor powers — Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom — and the United Nations. They come after a hiatus of more than three years in negotiations aiming to resolve the island’s decades-long division.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic lawmakers are unveiling legislation that would invest $25 billion to convert the nation’s fleet of gasoline- and diesel-powered school buses to electric vehicles, aiming at a component of President Joe Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan to improve children’s health.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Kate Schneider from Ireland has been named the new Mrs. World after the reigning titleholder resigned following an on-stage fracas in which she pulled the crown off the head of the winner of the Mrs. Sri Lanka beauty pageant, organizers said.
Mrs. World Inc. said it has received the resignation of Caroline Jurie and that the first runner-up, Mrs. Ireland Kate Schneider, therefore will be the new Mrs. World 2020.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s prime minister has proposed spending an extra 539 million Australian dollars ($417 million) on hydrogen and carbon sequestration projects, seeking to burnish his government’s green credentials ahead of a climate summit to be hosted by President Joe Biden.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Germany's top court has refused to issue an injunction blocking the country's participation in the European Union's 750 billion-euro (more than $900 billion) coronavirus recovery fund, clearing the way for the launch of the fund and its common borrowing aimed at supporting green and digital economic development.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A Sri Lankan Catholic archbishop appealed to the country's Muslims on Wednesday to reject extremism and join Catholics in determining the truth behind Easter Sunday suicide bombings in 2019 that killed 269 people.
Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith made the appeal during a commemoration of the second anniversary of the attacks.
MOSCOW (AP) — Two close associates of Alexei Navalny were detained Wednesday ahead of protests planned to support the imprisoned Russian opposition leader, who has been on a hunger strike since March 31.
Navalny's team called Sunday for nationwide protests after reports about the politician's health deteriorating in prison. Russian authorities have stressed that the demonstrations were not authorized and warned against participating in them.
BANGKOK (AP) — Shares rose Wednesday in Europe and U.S. futures edged higher as corporate earnings took the spotlight after a day of declines in Asia.
Germany's DAX gained 0.4% to 15,189.03 and the CAC 40 in Paris jumped 0.7% to 6,206.80. Britain's FTSE 100 added 0.7% to 6,905.16. Wall Street looked set for a tepid start, with the future for the S&P 500 up less than 0.1% and that for the Dow industrials up 0.1%.
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary's right-wing government and the liberal leadership of the country's capital city are absorbed in a conflict over a hospital for the homeless that may soon be forced to close its doors.
BANGKOK (AP) — Aid workers and activists are warning Myanmar’s political upheavals risk causing a regional refugee crisis as the strife following a February coup displaces growing numbers of people who have lost their livelihoods.
LONDON (AP) — The Super League collapsed before a ball was kicked in the European breakaway competition after being abandoned by the six English clubs, leaving the Spanish and Italian participants stranded.