
Germany woefully behind with COVID vaccinations, and shortages only small part of an "unbelievable" problem
CBSN
Berlin — The German government's coronavirus response has descended into chaos. Chancellor Angela Merkel was forced to rescind a last-minute order this week for a strict Easter lockdown — accepting there was no time to implement the measure despite rising infections.
It was just the latest misstep by her coalition government as it faces withering criticism for its handling of the pandemic, particularly its faltering vaccine rollout. The need to boost inoculations is growing more urgent as a third wave of COVID-19 infections spreads across Germany. The head of the government's health agency warned on Friday that Germany could see as many as 100,000 new cases per day if the disease's spread isn't curbed.
Concern over a man who'd exhibited "fixated behavior" caused Emma Raducanu to approach the chair umpire in tears and take an unscheduled break in her second-round match at the Dubai Championships, the Women's Tennis Association said Wednesday. The incident unfolded three years after a man in Britain was convicted of stalking the star player at her family home.

Rio de Janeiro — Brazil's prosecutor-general on Tuesday formally charged former President Jair Bolsonaro with attempting a coup to stay in office after his 2022 election defeat, in a plot that included a plan to poison his successor and current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and kill a Supreme Court judge.

Russia has freed a U.S. citizen arrested earlier this month on drug smuggling charges, according to Russian media reports and a U.S. official who spoke with The Associated Press. The move appeared to be an effort to ease tension between Moscow and Washington ahead of talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, which are expected to focus on the war in Ukraine and the fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza.

Beijing — China's Foreign Ministry took issue Monday with a revised U.S. government fact sheet that removed a line on American opposition to independence for Taiwan. The United States "gravely backpedaled" on its position on Taiwan and sent the wrong message to "separatist forces" on the island, ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.