Archives for May 2021

MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin sought Wednesday to temper expectations for next month’s summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden but noted the meeting’s importance amid soaring tensions between their countries.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned against anticipating a “reset” after the June 16 summit in Geneva, emphasizing that differences between Moscow and Washington run too deep.

“It’s obvious that the negative potential that has accumulated in our bilateral relations has some inertia,” Peskov said during a conference call with reporters. “So it’s hard to expect that it would be possible to reach understanding on deep disagreements during just one first meeting.”

Russia’s ties with the United States and its allies have sunk to post-Cold War lows over Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea, its’ support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine, Moscow’s interference with elections, hacking attacks and other irritants. The Kremlin has denied wrongdoing and denounced Western sanctions as an attempt to constrain Russia’s development.

“I would caution against having excessive expectations regarding results of the meeting, but proceed from the assumption that the event is very important in practical terms,” Peskov said. “It would be wrong to downplay the importance of the meeting.”

The summit in Geneva will wrap up Biden’s first international trip as president, following his visit to Britain for a meeting of Group of Seven leaders and a NATO summit in Brussels.

The agenda is expected to include arms control, the situation in Ukraine, this week’s forced diversion of a Lithuania-bound flight by Russian-ally Belarus, efforts by both nations to stem the coronavirus pandemic and more.

The White House also is setting low expectations for the meeting, making it clear the Geneva summit isn’t likely to yield any major breakthroughs.

The Biden administration has repeatedly said it is seeking a “stable and predictable” relationship with Moscow. At the same time, it has called out Putin on allegations that the Russians interfered in last year’s U.S. presidential election and that the Kremlin was behind the massive SolarWinds hacking campaign that targeted at least nine U.S. agencies.

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ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday said a series of severe allegations made against members of his entourage by a fugitive mafia boss were a plot against Turkey, and vowed to fight criminal gangs.

In a stream of videos posted on social media in recent weeks, convicted mob leader Sedat Peker has made stunning claims against ruling party figures that include alleged corruption, drug trafficking and a murder cover-up — maintaining there were close ties between senior officials and the underworld.

Peker, who is believed to be currently residing in Dubai, has not so far produced documentary evidence to back up his allegations.

His accusations have targeted Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, the son of former prime minister Binali Yildirim, and a convicted former interior minister as well as his son, who is a legislator from Erdogan’s ruling party.

The YouTube videos, which have hit millions of views, have led to opposition calls for Soylu’s resignation and for prosecutors to investigate Peker’s claims.

Breaking his weeks-long silence over the allegations, Erdogan described them as a “devious operation” targeting the country and his rule.

“We will spoil these games, these plots. No one should doubt that we will disrupt this devious operation,” Erdogan said, in an address to members of his ruling party.

“We pursue members of criminal gangs wherever in the world they flee to. We will not leave these criminals alone until we bring them back to our country and hand them over to the judiciary,” he said.

In his latest video released on Sunday, the 49-year-old crime boss who has been in and out of prison in Turkey, claimed that Yildirim’s son, Erkam Yildirim, had traveled to Venezuela to stake out possible narcotics smuggling routes. Binali Yildirim firmly denied the allegation, insisting that his son, who owns a shipping company, had traveled to Caracas on a humanitarian mission to hand out COVID-19 testing kits and masks.

In the video, the crime boss also claimed to have had a close relationship with Interior Minister Soylu, who allegedly provided him with a security detail and warned him about an investigation into his group. Peker also claimed that Soylu had sought his help in a bid to defeat a rival group within the ruling party, which is led by Erdogan’s son-in-law. Soylu has denied the claims in television interviews and has filed a criminal complaint against Peker.

Erdogan said Wednesday he firmly stands by Soylu and Yildirim.

Ahmet Davutoglu, an opposition party leader and former Erdogan ally who had served under him as prime minister from 2014 to 2016, called for a parliamentary investigation into the allegations and questioned the president’s support for Soylu.

“If President Tayyip Erdogan believes in Soylu’s innocence, he should have said this on the first day. Not after 25 days,” Davutoglu said.

Other allegations by Peker have targeted former interior minister Mehmet Agar, and his son Tolga Agar, a lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development Party. Peker claimed Tolga Agar was involved in the suspicious death of a Kazakh journalism student, Yeldana Kaharman, who had interviewed him and that her death was covered up as suicide following an alleged rape. The legislator rejects the accusation.

In continued allegations against the Agar family, the mob leader said Mehmet Agar was behind a series of political killings in the 1990s. Mehmet Agar had also, Peker claimed, illegally appropriated the marina in the upscale Aegean resort of Yalikavak from an Azerbaijani-Turkish businessman. Agar claimed that he had saved the marina from falling into the hands of crime gangs.

Peker’s revelations have raised concerns over possible continued ties between state officials and illegal gangs. To many, they come has a grim reminder of the 1990s when Turkey was rocked by a scandal that was triggered by a car crash. The road accident in western Turkey killed a police chief and a wanted mafia hitman, and injured a member of Turkey’s parliament — all riding in the same car — and revealed shady links between state actors and the underworld.

Peker is believed to have fled Turkey last year after getting wind of an operation against his group.

It is unclear why the mafia boss — who has supported Erdogan by organizing political rallies in his favor and by making threats against his opponents — has turned against the government.

Peker maintains that he was forced to speak out after his wife and two daughters were allegedly mistreated during a police raid on their home.

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NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans is preparing to allow all-night alcohol sales again. And the city is lifting a ban on parades and its traditional “second line” marches as coronavirus vaccinations rates improve and hospitalizations for COVID-19 stay low.

The city says it will end the 1 a.m. shutdown of alcohol sales and begin taking permit applications for parades and second lines under new rules that take effect Friday.

New Orleans is also allowing gyms to operate at full capacity and removing six-foot table spacing requirements at restaurants.

Some restrictions on large gatherings will remain in place. But exceptions will be made for events at which face masks will be required and participants must provide proof of vaccination.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

— European Union seeks fines in AstraZeneca court case

— How vaccine passports for global travel will work

— Federal charges brought against Medicare scams that preyed on virus fears

— Vaccine inequality in India sends many falling through gaps

— Countries eager to reopen to travel as pandemic recedes

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Follow more of AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials have granted emergency authorization to a third antibody drug to help reduce hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19.

The FDA said Wednesday it authorized the drug from GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology for people with mild-to-moderate cases of COVID-19 who face extra risks of severe illness, including seniors and those with underlying health problems.

There has been low demand for two similar drugs already available, due mainly to the logistical hurdles of delivering them and confusion about their availability. U.S. health officials have been trying to raise awareness of the treatments, connecting people who test positive for COVID-19 with information about nearby providers.

The drugs are delivered as a one-time intravenous infusion at a hospital or clinic and should be given within 10 days of the start of symptoms.

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NEW YORK — Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that vaccinated kids aged 12 to 17 will have a chance to win a full ride to public universities and colleges in New York.

The state will raffle off 50 scholarships, which would cover four years of tuition, room and board, books and supplies.

New York will hold weekly drawings on Wednesday to randomly select 10 winners. Parents or guardians can enter children who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine since May 12.

Schools across the country are using mascots, food trucks and prize giveaways to try to get kids vaccinated before school lets out for the summer.

Cuomo said children who get vaccinated earlier will have the best chance at winning. It’s unclear when applications for the lottery will open up, but people can sign up for notifications on a state website.

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SEATTLE — The city of Seattle is shutting down all but one of its mass COVID-19 vaccination sites next month.

Authorities announced Wednesday that the city-run sites at Lumen Field, Rainier Beach, West Seattle and North Seattle College will close in June. The decision comes as more than 76% of eligible Seattle residents have received at least one shot and 60% are fully vaccinated.

The Seattle Fire Department will continue operating its testing and vaccination site in the neighborhood south of downtown through the summer. The city’s vaccination efforts got a boost when the Lumen Field Event Center opened more than two months ago.

Since March 13, more than 97,000 vaccinations have been administered at the event center near two of the city’s large sports arenas. The city says it will continue to offer mobile vaccinations and spin up vaccination clinics as needed.

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Rhode Island factory once praised by former President Donald Trump for ramping up production of N95 face masks in the early days of the pandemic is laying off nearly 500 workers.

A spokesperson for Honeywell International told WPRI-TV on Wednesday that about 470 jobs at the Smithfield facility are being cut.

Employees are being urged to apply for other jobs at the company and some eligible workers will receive severance. The masks are critical safety equipment for health care workers and others even as general demand for face-coverings is diminishing as the pandemic wanes.

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SANTA FE, N.M. — The superintendent of New Mexico’s largest school district is backtracking on a promise to channel federal pandemic relief toward employee bonuses.

State auditors warned Wednesday that the proposed payments of at least $6 million could violate state constitutional provisions against giving away taxpayer dollars.

Albuquerque Public Schools Superintendent Scott Elder had said Tuesday that the constitution may prevent the district from delivering promised payments of $1,000 to full-time teachers and staff and $500 for part-timers in recognition of work since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Payments were scheduled for about 12,000 employees.

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WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is asking U.S. intelligence agencies to “redouble” efforts to investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He says there is insufficient evidence to conclude “whether it emerged from human contact with an infected animal or from a laboratory accident.”

Biden directed U.S. national laboratories to assist with the investigation and called on China to cooperate with international probes into the origins of the pandemic. He held out the possibility that a firm conclusion may never be known, given the Chinese government’s refusal to fully cooperate with international investigations.

The U.S. leads the world with 33.1 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 591,000 confirmed deaths.

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ISTANBUL — Turkey will step up its COVID-19 vaccination program next month, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.

“We aim to ensure normalization throughout our country by conducting an intensive vaccination campaign in June,” Erdogan said in a conference call with U.S. business leaders.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca says people over 50 can be vaccinated on June 1, adding that 5 million doses will arrive next week. It’s part of several deals for 270 million doses to vaccinate Turkey’s 84 million population.

Some 28.4 million first and second doses of vaccine have been administered so far, the health ministry says. It announced 8,738 new coronavirus cases in the previous 24 hours and 166 COVID-19-related deaths.

Daily cases hit more than 63,000 in mid-April after restrictions were relaxed. A three-week lockdown was introduced, ending on May 17. However, restrictions such as evening and weekend curfews remain in place.

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NICOSIA, Cyprus — Cyprus health authorities say people under 50 years should opt for either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines following the death of a 39-year-old woman who reportedly suffered a brain hemorrhage a few weeks after receiving an AstraZeneca shot.

Cyprus’ Health Ministry says it has a adopted a recommendation by a majority among a panel of scientific experts advising the government on dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic to administer the Pfizer and Morderna vaccines to people 50 years old and under.

However, the body recommended unanimously those already given a first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine and didn’t suffer serious side effects such as blood clots must receive their follow-up shot.

Some 50.4% of the population has received at least one vaccine shot while 23.7% have completed their vaccination regimen.

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BERLIN — The German government is setting up a fund of 2.5 billion euros ($3.1 billion) to support theaters, cinemas, concert organizers and other cultural facilities as they prepare to reopen after months of closures.

Germany is gradually easing restrictions with the decrease of coronavirus infections.

The special fund approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday will offer “economic viability aid” to organizers of events that must be held with reduced spectators because of the pandemic.

The fund adds to a series of aid packages put together by the government during the pandemic to help several sectors of the economy.

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LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s former chief aide has lashed out at the government he once served, saying people died “in horrific circumstances” during the coronavirus pandemic because of its failed response.

In televised testimony on Wednesday, Dominic Cummings claimed the government was slow and chaotic in its initial response to COVID-19. He also accused Johnson of failing to learn from early mistakes by resisting a second lockdown in the fall as virus cases soared.

Cummings gave seven hours of testimony to Parliament’s science and health committees, who are investigating Britain’s pandemic response. He alleged a series of bad decisions and false assumptions within government in early 2020, saying Johnson initially regarded the virus as “just a scare story.”

The prime minister defended the government’s response, saying “to deal with a pandemic on this scale has been appallingly difficult.” Johnson eventually imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 23. He was hospitalized in intensive care with the coronavirus in April 2020.

Cummings, who helped take Britain out of the European Union, was appointed a top adviser when Johnson became prime minister in 2019. A self-styled political disruptor who wanted to shake up government, he often expressed contempt for the civil service, politicians and the media.

The U.K. has recorded the highest COVID-19 death toll in Europe, with nearly 128,000 confirmed deaths.

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GENEVA — Restaurants in Switzerland will be allowed to open indoor areas next week following a six-month closure as coronavirus cases decline.

The Swiss government says rules on office working will be relaxed, with working from home recommended rather than required for businesses that conduct weekly tests. Since mid-January, companies have been required to tell staff to work from home where possible.

Restaurants have been allowed to serve customers outdoors since mid-April. Countries across Europe are relaxing restrictions at varying speeds as the latest wave of coronavirus infections subsides and vaccination campaigns gather pace.

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BRUSSELS — The European Union took on vaccine producer AstraZeneca in a Brussels court on Wednesday and accused it of diverting promised doses to other nations when it had promised them for urgent delivery among the 27 member states.

The bloc accused the Anglo-Swedish company of pushing EU deliveries back so it could give them to Britain, among other nations. EU lawyer Rafael Jafferali asked the court to impose a fine of 10 million euros ($12.2 million) per infraction.

AstraZeneca’s contract signed with the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, on behalf of member states foresaw an initial 300 million doses for distribution among all 27 countries, with an option for another 100 million.

The doses were expected to be delivered throughout 2021. But only 30 million were sent during the first quarter.

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PARIS — France will impose a mandatory quarantine on visitors from Britain to prevent the spread of a virus variant first detected in India.

Government spokesman Gabriel Attal said the new measure will be similar to limits imposed in Germany on people traveling from the U.K.

“France is going to take similar measures and so put in place obligatory isolation for people coming from the United Kingdom,” he said.

He didn’t say when the quarantine will be introduced. He said more information would be released shortly.

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BRUSSELS — Belgium has suspended the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for people under age 41 following the death of a person who had received the shot.

The government is asking for urgent advice from the European Medicines Agency before it will consider lifting the suspension.

It said a woman was vaccinated through her foreign employer outside the Belgian system and had died in Belgium last week after developing “serious thrombosis and reduced blood platelets.”

The government says the impact on the national vaccination drive would be very limited. Belgium was using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for elderly with reduced mobility and the homeless since it only takes one shot to be protected. Those shots will be continued.

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ROME — Whistleblower protection groups urged the World Health Organization on Wednesday to launch an independent review into the case of an Italian researcher who reported being pressured to falsify data in a now-spiked WHO report into Italy’s coronavirus response.

The groups and some 30 other public health and anti-corruption organizations sent an open letter to the president of the World Health Assembly. The assembly, WHO’s highest decision-making body, is made up of all WHO member states and is meeting this week.

In the letter, the signatories called for the U.N. agency to commit to reforming its whistleblowing protection policy. They said the Italian researcher, Dr. Francesco Zambon, had suffered retaliatory treatment for having reported the incident within WHO’s internal ethics system.

Zambon resigned in March, saying he had been isolated and marginalized after he complained internally, and then publicly, about the scandal.

Zambon has said he was pressured by a then-assistant director general, Dr. Ranieri Guerra, to falsify data about Italy’s preparedness going into the pandemic in a report he and other researchers were writing to help other countries prepare as COVID-19 swept across the globe last year.

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ISLAMABAD — Pakistan is offering shots to its entire adult population in hopes of boosting COVID-19 vaccination rates, with only 5% of the population inoculated so far.

Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar announced on Twitter that the registration of those ages 19 and above will begin from Thursday. So far, the vaccination was open to those 30 years and above.

Pakistan has reported a steady decline in infections and fatalities from COVID-19 in recent days, but the vaccination response has been sluggish.

The only shots given are three Chinese-made vaccines.

Pakistan has registered 908,576 confirmed cases and 20,465 deaths since last year.

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