Europe

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union took on vaccine producer AstraZeneca in a Brussels court on Wednesday and accused the drugmaker of acting in bad faith to provide shots to other nations when it had promised them for delivery among the 27 member states.

The bloc accused the Anglo-Swedish company of pushing EU deliveries back so it could service Britain, among others.

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.

Islamabad, May 26 (PTI) Seeking a "paradigm shift" in its ties with the US, Pakistan's National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf has presented to his American counterpart Jake Sullivan a blueprint to enhance bilateral relations not based on security and defence but focusing on economy and trade, according to a media report on Wednesday.

ROME (AP) — 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.

LONDON (AP) — U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s former chief aide said Wednesday that the government “failed” the British people and “fell disastrously short” in handling the coronavirus pandemic.

Dominic Cummings made a blistering attack on the government he once served, telling lawmakers investigating Britain’s pandemic response that some ministers and officials went on vacation as the virus swept toward the U.K. in February 2020.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Belarus’ authoritarian president on Wednesday defended his action to divert a European flight that triggered bruising European Union sanctions and accused the West of waging a “hybrid war” to “strangle” the ex-Soviet nation.

MOSCOW, May 25. /TASS/: Poland is interested in importing a coronavirus vaccine for animals and corresponding diagnostic kits from Russia, the Russian agricultural watchdog said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Poland's interest in importing the Russian vaccine Carnivac-Cov, developed to protect animals from the new coronavirus infection, and the corresponding diagnostic kits, was voiced on May 24 during the talks the Polish side initiated with the Rosselkhoznadzor (Russian agricultural watchdog - TASS)," according to the statement.

BERLIN, May 25. /TASS/: German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday she would be glad if Russian and US Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, finally hold a personal meeting.

"People may have opposite opinions and, despite this, they can speak and meet with each other," she said. "We do it with the Russian president. We can promote our European interests in dialogue with the Russian president much better. I would be glad if it comes to such a meeting."

KIEV, May 25. /TASS/: Kiev will halt flights to and from Belarus starting at midnight on May 26 and will also prohibit Ukrainian air carriers from using Belarusian airspace, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal wrote on Telegram on Tuesday.

SOCHI, May 25. /TASS/: The trials of the latest S-500 anti-aircraft missile system are successfully nearing completion and the system is next to be supplied to the troops, Russian President Vladimir Putin said while opening a meeting with the leadership of the Defense Ministry and defense enterprises on Tuesday.

"Over 70% of surface-to-air missile regiments in the Aerospace Force have been rearmed with advanced S-400 systems. The S-500 system whose trials are successfully nearing completion is next to be delivered to the troops," Putin said.