1st in-person attendance at EU summit this year

Lisbon, May 7

On the list of things not to do during a pandemic is holding big international gatherings, but European Union leaders and diplomats are meeting in Portugal on Friday for two-day talks sending a signal that they see the Covid threat on their continent as waning.

Moral responsibility to help India: Jayapal

• Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal has said the US had a “moral responsibility” to help India in Covid fight.
• Congressmen James Clyburn and Frank Pallone have hailed the US move on waiver of TRIPS rules on vaccines.

Their talks hope to repair some of the damage Covid has caused in the bloc in areas such as welfare and employment. In a late addition to their agenda, EU leaders will also discuss Thursday’s US proposal to share the technology behind Covid vaccines to help speed the end of the pandemic. The leaders will also take part in an unprecedented meeting, via videoconference, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose country needs more help with a devastating virus surge.

This is the 27-nation bloc’s first face-to-face summit in five months, after an exceptional meeting in Brussels last December to discuss post-pandemic spending. — Agencies