Europe

BERLIN, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Revenues of German vaccine developer BioNTech in the first quarter (Q1) of 2022 more than tripled year-on-year to 6.4 billion euros (6.7 billion U.S. dollars), the company said on Monday.

The increase was "mainly due to increased commercial revenues from the supply and sales of the company's COVID-19 vaccine worldwide," BioNTech said in a statement. Net profit rose to 3.7 billion euros in Q1, compared to 1.13 billion euros in the same period last year.

KIEV/OTTAWA, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev on Sunday, announcing more military aid to Ukraine and more sanctions against Russia.

According to a news release on Sunday, Trudeau said that Canada would be providing Ukraine with an additional military aid worth of 50 million Canadian dollars (40 million U.S. dollars), including drone cameras, high-resolution satellite imagery, small arms as well as ammunition.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A lawyer for an alleged extremist accused of involvement in crimes including rape and torture in the northern Malian city of Timbuktu a decade ago rejected the allegations and said Monday that he was just a police officer carrying out court orders who could have been killed for disobeying.

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court had argued that the defendant, Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud, was a “key figure” in a reign of terror after al-Qaida-linked rebels overran the Malian desert city in 2012.

UZHHOROD, Ukraine (AP) — Jill Biden made an unannounced visit to western Ukraine, holding a surprise Mother’s Day meeting with first lady Olena Zelenska to show U.S. support for the embattled nation as Russia presses its punishing war in the eastern regions.

She became the latest high-profile American to enter Ukraine during the war, while Zalenska’s public appearance was her first since since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24

LONDON (AP) — A senior British official was meeting with rival Northern Ireland party leaders Monday to press them to re-establish a power-sharing government amid uncertainty after Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein scored a historic victory in local elections.

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis was holding talks with leaders of the five parties that formed the last Executive, or devolved government, before it collapsed in February.

MILAN (AP) — Italian Premier Mario Draghi meets with U.S. President Joe Biden this week in Washington as Europe faces another “whatever it takes” moment with Russia’s war in Ukraine raging on its eastern flank.

Both Rome and Washington will emphasize their historic friendship and shared desire to help Ukraine defend itself from Russia’s two-month-old invasion when the leaders meet on Tuesday. Energy, climate change and promoting global economic prosperity also are on the agenda.

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Russia’s ambassador to Poland was splattered with red paint thrown at him by protesters opposed to the war in Ukraine, preventing him from paying respects on Monday at a Warsaw cemetery to Red Army soldiers who died during World War II.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denounced the attack, saying on her messaging app channel that “we won’t be scared” while the “people of Europe should be scared to see their reflection in a mirror.”

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin used a major patriotic holiday Monday to again justify his war in Ukraine but did not declare even a limited victory or signal where the conflict was headed, as his forces pressed their offensive with few signs of significant progress.

The Russian leader oversaw a Victory Day parade on Moscow’s Red Square, with troops marching in formation, military hardware on display, and a brass band blaring to mark the Soviet Union’s role in the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany.

Tehran, IRNA - Iran’s embassy in Ukraine asked the Iranian nationals in Moldova to leave the country.

Considering the continuation of war in Ukraine and the possibility of expansion of war to Transnistria, the embassy asked Iranian nationals to leave the country.

The embassy also wished health and success for all Iranian nationals, especially those residing in Ukraine.

08 May 2022; MEMO: The European Union's Iran nuclear talks coordinator Enrique Mora is to visit Tehran on Tuesday, the semi-official agency Nour News reported on Saturday, as the bloc said it was seeking to break a deadlock and save the 2015 accord.