EMA backtracks on vaccine chief blood clot comments

The European Medicines Agency on Tuesday said it had not yet reached a conclusion on a link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and a rare type of blood clot after the agency’s head of vaccines confirmed the association. Marco Cavaleri had told Italy’s Il Messaggero that there was a link although the cause of the clotting syndrome was still unknown. The EMA last month said the AstraZeneca vaccine was safe and effective but that it would study the connection between a particular type of thrombosis in the brain and the jab. The agency is expected to provide an updated assessment this week. Sources: The Guardian, Reuters, BBC, AP.

EU, IMF back US push for global minimum corporate tax

The European Commission and International Monetary Fund on Tuesday expressed support for a call by US treasury secretary Janet Yellen to introduce a global minimum corporate tax rate. The US plan envisages a 21% minimum tax rate combined with rules to prevent profit and job shifting to low-tax countries. A commission spokesman said the rate should be agreed as part of an OECD global taxation scheme. The IMF’s chief economist, Gita Gopinath, said the fund is “very much in favour” of the idea. Sources: France 24, Reuters, Bloomberg, FT.

Jeff Bezos tops Forbes billionaire ranking

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos topped Forbes magazine’s 35th annual list of the world’s wealthiest with a fortune worth $177bn. Elon Musk ($151bn) came second, followed by France’s Bernard Arnault ($150bn), chairman of the LVMH luxury goods group. There were 493 newcomers to the list of 2,755 billionaires, worth a combined $13.1trn. Former US president Donald Trump fell nearly 300 places in the ranking, landing in 1,299th place. Source: Forbes.

Alexei Navalny “seriously ill”

Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who is currently being held in a prison camp outside of Moscow, is “seriously ill”, according to his lawyer. Navalny had entered a hunger strike in protest over being denied a visit by a personal doctor for numbness and pain in his back and legs. Navalny has lost a lot of weight and is suffering from a cough and fever, his lawyer said, amid reports of other inmates being treated for tuberculosis. Supporters who had travelled to the site to demand medical care for Navalny were arrested. Several journalists were also briefly detained. Sources: The Guardian, FT, Reuters.  

Ukraine wants Nato to speed up membership

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine has urged Nato to speed up its membership in the alliance as Russia is building up troops along the eastern border with Crimea and the Donbass region where fighting has been ongoing since 2014. Zelenskiy said Nato membership is the only way to end the conflict, hoping to be invited to join a membership action plan this year. Sources: FT, The Guardian, DW.

EU tell Turkey human rights are “non-negotiable”

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday warned Turkey it must respect human rights and the rule of law, saying they are “non-negotiable” in the EU-Turkey relationship. Von der Leyen and EU Council president Charles Michel are visiting Turkey this week and also said Ankara must do more to adhere to a €6bn 2016 migration deal. Sources: DW, Al Jazeera, France 24.

41 police officers injured in N. Ireland violence

Northern Ireland’s police force on Tuesday said 41 officers have been injured over the past week with ten arrests made as sporadic violence has broken out in several pro-British neighbourhoods. First minister Arlene Foster urged disaffected youth not to get involved in the violence. “There is a better way,” she said as the Northern Ireland executive was recalled from Easter recess to discuss the tensions. Sources: FT, BBC, Belfast Telegraph.

Sunday working hour talks break down

Negotiations between labour union OGBL and retail interest group CLC on Sunday working hour rules have broken down. Talks began after a spate of checks at the end of last year had revealed widespread abuse of rules stating employees can only work four hours on Sundays. Both sides are now blaming each other for the stalemate. While the OGBL claims proposals by employers don’t provide enough compensation for workers, the CLC has called the OGBL’s demands unreasonable. Sources: Paperjam, OGBL, CLC.

Health ministry warns of scammers

Residents in the area around Larochette have reported people posing as health ministry workers to gain access to private homes. The health ministry on Tuesday warned against the fraudsters, saying they should not be admitted and that its staff do not go door-to-door. Any such incident should be reported to the police. Source: RTL.

Latest Luxembourg covid-19 update

Out of 483 coronavirus tests carried out on Easter Monday, seven (1.45%) came back positive, the health ministry said in its latest update. There were 3,483 active infections, with the reproductive number at 0.95. One more person died after testing positive for Sars-CoV-2, bringing the pandemic death toll to 761. In addition to 32 intensive care patients, 105 people were being treated in hospital for complications caused by the coronavirus. Vaccination centres administered 3,053 vaccine doses on Monday. Source: Health ministry.

One in three covid-19 survivors suffer brain disorders

A third of covid-19 patients is diagnosed with a neurological or mental disorder within six months, researchers said on Tuesday. The data is based on a study of 230,000 mostly US adults. Anxiety and mood disorders were most commonly diagnosed but a smaller number of patients also suffered a stroke within half a year or were diagnosed with dementia. It is not clear how the virus is linked to these disorders. Sources: Reuters, CNN, BBC.

Say cheese!

Cypriot halloumi cheese will be entered into the EU’s register of protected designations of origin, making the product unique to the Mediterranean island. Halloumi is Cyprus’s top food export. The register entry means that only cheese made in Cyprus under specific conditions can be sold as halloumi, or hellim in Turkish. Sources: Reuters, DW, Euractiv.

Europe’s first 3D map

A bronze age stone slab may be the first 3D map of Europe, researchers say. The stone was first found in 1900 but then forgotten and rediscovered in a castle cellar in France in 2014. Scientists studying the patterns etched into the stone now say they believe it to be a map of Brittany. Dating to the early Bronze age, between 2100 to 1650BC, this would make it the first 3D map of a known area in Europe. Sources: BBC, CNRS, Bournemouth University.  

Starbucks to phase out disposable cups in South Korea

Coffee giant Starbucks has pledged to discontinue disposable coffee cups in South Korea by 2025. The company uses around 7bn single use cups every year, most of which end up in landfills. Starbucks wants to reduce its carbon footprint in South Korea by 30% by 2025. A pilot programme for a reusable cup deposit will launch in the summer. Sources: CNBC, New York Times, Bloomberg.  

Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Cordula Schnuer