Reuters World News Summary

Taiwan's government has tried for months to buy the vaccine directly from BioNTech and has blamed China, which claims the self-ruled island as its own territory, for nixing an agreement the two sides were due to sign earlier this year.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Unvaccinated Belgian woman contracted two COVID variants simultaneously

A 90-year-old Belgian woman who died from COVID-19 in March had contracted two variants of coronavirus at the same time, which is believed to be the first documented case of its kind, a scientific congress and Belgian media said on Sunday. The case, discussed at this year's European Congress on Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), shows that it is possible to catch two COVID-19 variants simultaneously, the society that organised the congress said in a statement.

South Africa violence spreads to Johannesburg in wake of Zuma jailing

Shops were looted overnight, a section of highway was closed and stick-wielding protesters marched through Johannesburg on Sunday, as sporadic violence following the jailing of former South African President Jacob Zuma spread. The unrest had mainly been concentrated in Zuma's home province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), where he started serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court on Wednesday night.

Leaked testimony from Haiti suspects says plan was to arrest, not kill president

A group of Colombians and Haitian Americans suspected of assassinating Haitian President Jovenel Moise told investigators they were there to arrest him, not kill him, the Miami Herald and a person familiar with the matter said on Sunday. Moise was shot dead early on Wednesday at his Port-au-Prince home by what Haitian authorities say was a unit of assassins made up of 26 Colombians and two Haitian Americans, plunging the troubled Caribbean nation into deeper turmoil.

Pentagon says U.S. team going to Haiti to assess needs

A team of U.S. security and law enforcement experts is traveling to Haiti to determine what assistance Washington can provide following the assassination of the Haitian president last week, the Pentagon said on Sunday. "Today, an inter-agency team largely from the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are heading down to Haiti right now to see what we can to do help in the investigative process," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told "Fox News Sunday."

Thousands of protesters take to the streets in Cuba

Thousands of Cubans took to the streets from Havana to Santiago on Sunday in rarely seen protests, expressing frustration over economic conditions, the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations and what they said was government neglect. President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who also heads the Communist Party, blamed the United States for the unrest in a nationally televised speech on Sunday afternoon.

Italy erupts in celebration after Euro soccer triumph

Italians poured into streets and squares in massive numbers on Sunday as the national soccer team beat England to win Euro 2020, celebrating a success widely seen as a rebound from the heartbreak failure of not qualifying for the last World Cup. Fireworks and music broke out across the country after the 3-2 shootout win, following a 1-1 draw after extra time, as flags waved and euphoric fans sang out in the hot summer night after the final played at London's Wembley stadium.

Pope reappears after surgery, backs free universal health care

Pope Francis, seeming in good overall condition, appeared in public on Sunday for the first time since undergoing intestinal surgery a week ago and made a plea for free universal healthcare. The 84-year-old pope, who had part of his colon removed in the surgery, stepped out on the balcony of his suite on the 10th floor of Rome's Gemelli hospital to lead his weekly prayer before hundreds of cheering people below.

Pandemic not over, Johnson warns as England set for rule easing

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will urge caution on Monday as he is expected to confirm plans to remove nearly all remaining COVID-19 restrictions in England from July 19, despite a surge of cases to levels unseen for months. Earlier this week Johnson set out proposals to eliminate rules on mask-wearing and social contact, and the instruction to work from home, on what he has called a "one-way road to freedom". He will announce his final decision at a news conference on Monday.

Italy's 5-Star founder, former PM mend rifts, agree to relaunch party

Italy's former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and the founder of the co-ruling 5-Star Movement, comedian Beppe Grillo, reached an agreement on Sunday to overcome recent differences over the future of the party, paving the way for its relaunch. The dispute between Grillo and Conte, who had agreed to take charge of the struggling party after his coalition collapsed in January, has threatened to cause problems for the national unity government led by Mario Draghi.

BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines coming to Taiwan, Chinese agent says

The Chinese sales agent for Germany's BioNTech SE said on Sunday it had signed a deal to provide 10 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan, part of a drawn-out and highly politicised process for the island to access the shots. Taiwan's government has tried for months to buy the vaccine directly from BioNTech and has blamed China, which claims the self-ruled island as its own territory, for nixing an agreement the two sides were due to sign earlier this year. China denies the accusations.