Briefly

URUGUAY

Sinovac jab cuts adult deaths by 95%

The COVID-19 mortality rate among Uruguayans aged 18 to 69 who were vaccinated with Sinovac vaccine fell by more than 95 percent, the latest Vaccine Effectiveness report from the Public Health Ministry said. Two weeks after receiving the second dose of the CoronaVac vaccine, developed by Chinese drugmaker Sinovac Biotech, mortality fell by 95.3 percent among the vaccinated population aged 18 to 49.

CANADA

Keystone pipeline officially scrapped

Blocked by US President Joe Biden, Canada's TC Energy said on Wednesday it had officially terminated the Keystone XL Pipeline project, throwing in the towel on a controversial initiative opposed by environmental activists. Biden formally rescinded a permit for the pipeline, first proposed in 2008, by executive order on his first day in office in January.

FRANCE

Peugeot to face 'dieselgate' action

French carmaker Peugeot is facing prosecution in France over the "dieselgate" emissions cheating scandal, its parent company Stellantis said on Wednesday. This followed similar charges announced against Renault and Volkswagen. The US-European auto giant said Peugeot was under investigation "on allegations of consumer fraud in connection with the sale of Euro 5 diesel vehicles in France between 2009 and 2015".

INDIA

11 die after Mumbai building collapses

At least 11 people, including eight children, died after a Mumbai residential building collapsed on top of another building late on Wednesday, local officials said. The incident occurred in a northern suburb of Mumbai, officials said, adding more people could be trapped inside the debris. Incidents of building collapses are more common in India's financial capital during the monsoon.

Agencies - Xinhua