Friday, May 7, 2021

TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Friday, May the 7th: *) Germany opposes US-backed proposal to waive patents on Covid-19 jabs The EU says it is willing to discuss a US-backed proposal to waive patent rights for Covid-19 vaccines. But the bloc's largest economy, Germany, says while it supports the goal of a worldwide supply of vaccines, the main factors in mass production are capacity and quality control, not patents. US President Joe Biden’s administration announced on Wednesday support for a global waiver on intellectual property protection for vaccines to accelerate efforts to stop the pandemic. *) India’s coronavirus cases hit another daily record India has reported yet another record rise in new coronavirus cases with over 414,000 infections. Over 3,900 people died of the disease in the last 24 hours. The South Asian nation's cases tally now stands at 21.4 million, second only to the United States while its total fatalities have soared past 230,000. Demand for medical oxygen has increased, with lockdowns reinstated in several cities and states. *) Pressure mounts on Israel to abandon settlement expansion plans Tensions are high in occupied East Jerusalem, where Palestinians are trying to prevent people from being evicted from their homes. At least 13 Palestinian families are facing eviction after an order by an Israeli court, which Palestinians fear is part of an ongoing effort by settlers to illegally take their homes. In a joint statement, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK have urged Israel to reverse its decision to advance settlement construction in the Har Homa E area. *) Colombia calls for dialogue with protest leaders Colombia's government has invited protest leaders to a dialogue to calm tensions following over a week of deadly protests against President Ivan Duque. Thousands of Colombians have taken to the streets to express anger over the government's policies on health, education and inequality. At least 24 people have died in clashes between protesters and security force