World News in Brief: May 10

Russia held a grand military parade in central Moscow's Red Square on Monday to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War.

COVID vaccine makers are shifting gears and planning for a smaller, more competitive booster shot market after delivering as many doses as fast as they could over the last 18 months.
COVID vaccine makers are shifting gears and planning for a smaller, more competitive booster shot market after delivering as many doses as fast as they could over the last 18 months.

* Ferdinand Marcos Jr., 64, won Monday's presidential election over his main rival, incumbent Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo, 57, according to the 83.1 percent of unofficial votes counted. The latest tally said Marcos garnered 26,681,414 votes over Robredo's 12,736,644.

* Katalin Novak, the first female president of Hungary, took office in Budapest on Tuesday. The Parliament elected Novak as President of Hungary on March 10.

* The Republic of Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said Tuesday that his new government will open door to dialogue with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to peacefully resolve the Korean Peninsula's nuclear issue.

* French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Tuesday discussed the crisis in Ukraine and the global food crisis arising from it, and called for an urgent ceasefire, the Elysee said after a phone call between the two leaders.

* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday submitted the second part of the questionnaire for Ukraine's candidate status of a European Union (EU) membership to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said Zelensky's press service.

* Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and visiting European Council President Charles Michel on Monday discussed steps to solve the issues concerning Ukraine's agricultural exports, the government press service reported.

* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday he had discussed defense support for his country amid the conflict with Russia with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.

* German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday held talks with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron, vowing to provide further financial and military support for Ukraine.

* British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will travel to Sweden and Finland on Wednesday, his spokesman said, as the two countries consider joining NATO.

* Oil market volatility is linked to factors outside the control of the OPEC+ producers group, such as moves by some buyers to boycott certain suppliers, the United Arab Emirates' energy minister said on Tuesday, alluding to Western curbs on Russia.

* Britain said on Tuesday it will require its regulators to help the City of London remain a globally competitive financial centre after being largely cut off from the European Union due to Brexit.

* The Indian government said on Tuesday that the country's coal production increased 29 percent year-on-year to 66.58 Million Ton (MT) in April amid a power shortage due to lesser stocks of coal available at thermal power plants.

* The balance of long-term Japanese government debt exceeded 1,000 trillion yen (7.7 trillion USD) for the first time in the fiscal year of 2021 to reach its highest-ever level, the Finance Ministry said on Tuesday.

* Malaysia's unemployment rate remained at 4.1 percent in March as compared to February, official data showed Tuesday.

* China's Ministry of Water Resources on Tuesday activated a Level-IV emergency response for flood control, as heavy rainfall is lashing the southern part of the country.

* Russia said on Tuesday that there had been forest fires covering an area of 270,000 hectares so far this year - an area a little larger than Luxembourg.

* The European Union (EU) pledged to provide a total of 1.5 billion euros (1.58 billion USD) of humanitarian assistance to Syria in 2022, and an equal amount next year, said Josep Borrell, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on Tuesday.

* Iran will need to import at least 7 million tonnes of wheat in the year to March 2023, marking a second year of high imports as drought continues to affect domestic production, the chairman of Iran's Grain Union said on Tuesday.

* South Africa's government is still analysing details of a $8.5 billion financing package offered by rich Western nations last year to help the country shift away from coal, environment minister Barbara Creecy said on Tuesday.

* Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif took notice of the detection of Omicron sub-variant BA.2.12.1 of COVID-19 in the country and ordered immediate restoration of the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), the Prime Minister's Office said on Tuesday.

Xinhua/Reuters/VNA