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India says Covid vaccine exports to restart in October
AFP
India will resume exporting Covid-19 vaccines from October, five months after it stopped sending supplies abroad in the face of a deadly wave of infections, the health minister said Monday.
The South Asian giant, dubbed the “pharmacy of the world”, was a major supplier to the Covax programme aimed at ensuring poor countries can access doses.
Exports stopped in April, according to foreign ministry data, when a virus surge in India pushed the healthcare system to breaking point and there was a huge demand for jabs.
Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said more than 300 million vaccine doses would be produced in October and one billion in the last three months of the year.
“India will be resuming export of vaccines… in order to fulfill the commitment of India towards Covax,” Mandaviya said in a statement.
“The surplus supply of vaccines will be used to fulfill our commitment towards the world for the collective fight against Covid-19.”
Covax is co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Gavi vaccine alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, with UNICEF using its vaccine logistics expertise to handle the delivery flights.
Under Covax, the 92 poorest countries can access jabs for free, with donors covering the cost.
The Serum Institute of India (SII) plant, producing AstraZeneca doses, was supposed to be the early backbone of Covax’s supply chain.
A Gavi spokesman welcomed the news from New Delhi.
“This could have an immense positive impact on both health security within India as well as globally,” he told AFP.
“Our priority right now is to engage with the government of India and the SII to understand the impact this will have on our supply schedule, as we race to protect as many vulnerable people as we can from Covid-19.”
Some 5.9 billion coronavirus vaccine doses have been administered around the world, according to an AFP count.
So far, Covax has shipped 286 million doses — far below where it wanted to be at this stage — to 141 participating economies.
In a tweet, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged world leaders to “guarantee vaccine equity and equitable access to other Covid-19 tools”.
Launched in January, India’s vaccination campaign was slow to take off because of shortages and hesitancy among the population.
But the pace has picked up in recent weeks, with authorities currently administering between five to eight million coronavirus shots every day.
The country hit a record 22 million coronavirus jabs in a day on Friday as part of a special vaccination drive for the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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Trump renews criticism of Pope Leo XIV amid tensions over Iran
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, renewed his criticism of Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday night, urging that “someone tell him” that Iran has “killed at least 42,000 innocent protesters” and insisting that it is “unacceptable” for the country to possess nuclear weapons.
“Can someone please inform Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 completely unarmed, innocent protesters over the past two months, and that it is absolutely unacceptable for Iran to have a nuclear bomb?” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
The statement comes amid an escalating public dispute between Trump and the pontiff over the conflict in Iran and the broader Middle East. The US president concluded his message with the phrase “AMERICA IS BACK.”
Pope Leo XIV, who was born in the United States, has repeatedly spoken out—both directly and indirectly—against Washington’s stance toward Tehran, while calling for peace in the region.
On Monday, Trump openly criticized the pope, describing him as “weak” and “terrible on foreign policy.”
Speaking aboard a flight to Algeria, the first stop of his trip to Africa, the pontiff said he was “not afraid” of the Trump administration and would continue to raise his voice against the ongoing conflict.
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Tehran engulfed in toxic cloud after strikes on fuel facilities
Tehran woke up under a sky that shifted from gray to black following strikes on fuel infrastructure, as the city has become engulfed in a toxic cloud that is turning daily life into a public health and environmental emergency.
Residents warn that what is falling from the sky is no longer just rain, but a mixture of oil and pollutants. Attacks on fuel depots have triggered prolonged fires, releasing thick plumes of smoke that continue to spread across the العاصمة.
For several days, facilities have remained ablaze, while a dark layer has settled over streets, homes, and even water reserves. Authorities have urged the population—more than nine million people—to remain indoors, especially vulnerable groups.
The extreme toxicity is linked to mazut, a dense petroleum byproduct with high sulfur content still used in Iran due to industrial limitations and sanctions. When burned, it releases hazardous particles that, when combined with moisture, result in contaminated rainfall.
The situation is worsened by Tehran’s geography. Surrounded by mountains, the city is affected by a temperature inversion phenomenon that traps pollutants near the ground, preventing their dispersion and creating a stagnant layer of toxic air over the population.
Residents have reported symptoms such as eye and skin irritation, headaches, and respiratory difficulties. Emergency agencies have also warned of potential chemical burns caused by acid rain.
Long-term concerns are mounting, as prolonged exposure to fine particles and heavy metals could lead to serious health conditions, including lung damage and cancer.
Contamination is also spreading to water sources and agricultural land, threatening the food supply in a country already facing water scarcity.
At a regional level, the environmental impact is expanding, with oil spills reported in the Persian Gulf, affecting marine ecosystems and fishing communities.
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FBI Most Wanted Fugitive Arrested in Mexico and Deported to U.S.
Authorities in Mexico announced Thursday that Samuel Ramírez Jr., a U.S. citizen accused of murdering two women and listed among the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, was arrested in the northern state of Sinaloa.
Ramírez Jr., 33, was detained Tuesday in Culiacán just 1 hour and 13 minutes after being added to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Ten Most Wanted list, the agency said in a statement.
The suspect, who was born in California, has already been deported to the U.S. state of Washington, where he faces charges related to the fatal shooting of two women at a bar in Federal Way in May 2023.
A court issued an arrest warrant for Ramírez in November last year, and the FBI initially offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to his capture, later increasing the amount to up to $1 million.
“To protect individuals’ privacy and ensure continued cooperation from the public, the FBI does not confirm the identity of those who provide information,” the agency said in its statement.
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