Vaccine makers make bird flu shot for humans ‘just in case’; wealthy nations lay down supplies

LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) – Some of the world’s leading makers of flu vaccines say they could make hundreds of millions of bird flu shots for humans within months if a new strain of bird flu ever jumps the species divide. A current outbreak of bird flu, known as H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b, has killed a … Read more

Thousands protest in Belgrade against the Western-backed Serbia-Kosovo deal

BELGRADE, March 17 (Reuters) – Several thousand people gathered in Belgrade to protest a Western-backed deal to normalize ties between Kosovo and Serbia, which they see as recognition of Kosovo’s independence. The Serbian constitution considers Kosovo to be an integral part of its territory, even though it declared independence in 2008 with support from the … Read more

Credit Suisse meets to weigh options, under pressure to merge with UBS

March 18 (Reuters) – Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN.S) embarked on an all-or-nothing weekend after some rivals became cautious in their dealings with the bank as regulators urged the bank to pursue a deal with Swiss rival UBS AG (UBSG. S). Credit Suisse Chief Financial Officer Dixit Joshi and his teams will hold meetings over … Read more

As a show of unity, NATO and EU leaders visit the North Sea gas platform

TROLL A PLATFORM, North Sea, March 17 (Reuters) – Heads of NATO and the European Commission flew to a platform in the North Sea on Friday to discuss security of supply and infrastructure, a visit that underlined Norway’s importance to gas transports since the invasion from Russia in Ukraine. The Troll A platform extracts gas … Read more

Vaccine-derived poliovirus detected in Burundi, Congo

JOHANNESBURG/LONDON, March 17 (Reuters) – Health officials in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have discovered cases of vaccine-derived poliovirus, according to the World Health Organization and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The WHO said the Burundian government had declared the discovery of the virus a national public health emergency after cases were … Read more

ICC judges issue arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes in Ukraine

AMSTERDAM, March 17 (Reuters) – The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of responsibility for the war crime of the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly denied allegations that its troops committed atrocities during its year-long invasion of its neighbour. The … Read more

Slovakia sends MIG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine – PM

March 17 (Reuters) – Slovakia on Friday became Ukraine’s second ally to supply MIG-29 fighter jets, which Kiev says are crucial to fighting off Russia’s years-long invasion. Slovakia joined Poland, which announced delivery of the planes on Thursday. Both NATO members border Ukraine. The fleet of 11 MiG-29 aircraft was decommissioned last summer and most … Read more

China hopes Russia and Ukraine will hold peace talks, a senior Chinese diplomat says

BEIJING, March 16 (Reuters) – China is concerned about an escalation of the war in Ukraine and hopes that Moscow and Kiev will hold peace talks, senior Chinese diplomat Qin Gang told his Ukrainian counterpart in a telephone conversation on Thursday. China, which has refrained from condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, has urged … Read more

UK bans TikTok on government phones due to security concerns

LONDON, March 16 (Reuters) – Britain said on Thursday it would ban TikTok on government phones with immediate effect, a move following other Western countries in blocking the Chinese video app over security concerns. TikTok has come under increasing scrutiny over fears that user data from the app owned by Beijing-based company ByteDance could end … Read more

ECB interest rate hike expected after Switzerland supports Credit Suisse

Stocks rise as Switzerland provides Credit Suisse with lifeline Bond yields are rising, ECB expected rate hikes of as much as 50 basis points Oil climbs from 15-month low Graphic: World FX Rates LONDON, March 16 (Reuters) – European markets rallied on Thursday, as a 50 billion Swiss franc ($53.94 billion) lifeline for beleaguered lender … Read more