Stories for March 2021

Thursday, March 11th 2021 - 09:44 UTC
Rich countries block a Covid-19 vaccines patent rights waiver

The rich members of the World Trade Organization blocked a push by over 80 developing countries on Wednesday to waive patent rights in an effort to boost the production of Covid-19 vaccines for poor nations.
Thursday, March 11th 2021 - 09:40 UTC
Brazil overtakes US in daily Covid-19 deaths, 2,286 on Wednesday

New Covid-19 infections in Latin America are still rising, particularly in Brazil where a resurgence has caused record daily deaths, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) warned on Wednesday.
Thursday, March 11th 2021 - 09:40 UTC
IATA expects a return to personal and leisure travel from the second half of 2021

Personal and leisure travel will return from the second half of this year as borders reopen to tourists hungry to be free again and to reunite with families and friends, Alexandre de Juniac, director of the International Air Transport Association (Iata) said in an interview with The Straits Times from Singapore.
Thursday, March 11th 2021 - 09:36 UTC
Spain expects to roll out vaccine “Digital Green Pass” by May 19 for FITUR tourism fair

Spain could be ready to start rolling out coronavirus vaccine ‘passports’ by the end of May, paving the way to welcome back holidaymakers, Minister of tourism, María Reyes Maroto, said on Wednesday.
Thursday, March 11th 2021 - 09:23 UTC
Biden family dogs sent back to Wilmington following a “biting incident”

US President Joe Biden has sent his two dogs back to his family home in Wilmington, Delaware, after the younger of the two German Shepherds was involved in a “biting incident” with a White House security agent, US media reported.
Thursday, March 11th 2021 - 09:20 UTC
Fans march in Buenos Aires demanding “Justice for Diego. Trial and punishment of the guilty”

Argentine football idol Diego Maradona was always surrounded by controversy both in life and in death. Just remember the chaos when his funeral held at Government House attracted hundreds of thousands, and this Wednesday, Argentines again took to the streets to demand what they say is justice for Diego, a medical inquest into how he died and whether there had been any negligence in his care.
Thursday, March 11th 2021 - 09:18 UTC
Pacific small islands fear rising seas will distort their claims to EEZs

Small island states in the Pacific are opening a new front in the fight against rising seas, to secure rights to an ocean area bigger than the moon that is home to billion-dollar fish stocks.
Thursday, March 11th 2021 - 09:07 UTC
Major fire at Europe's largest cloud services knocks out some 3,6 million websites

Some 3,6 million websites were knocked out because of a fire at a French cloud services firm in Strasbourg, including French government agencies' portals, banks, shops, news websites, and a chunk of the FR webspace, according to Internet monitors.
Thursday, March 11th 2021 - 09:07 UTC
Great victory for Biden: on Friday he signs the US$ 1,9 trillion American Rescue Plan

Great victory for president Joe Biden: US Congress on Wednesday passed the enormous Covid-19 economic relief package --the greatest support program since the end of World War II--, which will inject billions to families and businesses.
Thursday, March 11th 2021 - 05:24 UTC
China calls for de-escalation in Myanmar and “it's time for dialogue”

China called on Wednesday in the UN Security Council for a “de-escalation” in the crisis in Myanmar, where the junta has pursued a violent crackdown against peaceful anti-coup demonstrators.