Buliding Network

  US President Joe Biden has launched his first official overseas trip with a warning to Russia that it faces "robust and meaningful" consequences if it engages in "harmful activities". Mr Biden made clear his intention to strengthen ties with US allies, following strained relations under the Trump administration. President Biden arrived in the UK on Wednesday. He will meet PM Boris Johnson to agree a new "Atlantic Charter". The pact will be a modern version of the one agreed between Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt in 1941, with a focus on challenges including climate change and security. The BBC's Political Editor, Laura Kuenssberg, says the two are aiming to refresh a vital relationship, after the turbulence of the Trump years and the pressures of the pandemic. During a packed eight-day European visit Mr Biden will meet the Queen at Windsor Castle, attend a G7 leaders' meeting, and join his first Nato summit as president. At the end of h

  Major Indian states that have been virus hotpots are easing restrictions as Covid case numbers continue to fall. National capital Delhi and financial hub, Mumbai, are among the cities that are opening partially. This comes in the wake of a crushing second wave that saw hospital beds, medicines and even oxygen run short as cases spiked and deaths rose. But experts continue to advice precaution amid a lagging vaccine drive and the threat posed by new variants. India has administered more than 230 million jabs of a Covid vaccine so far - but less than four percent of it's 1.4 billion people have been fully vaccinated. It has also struggled to speed up the drive across the country, partly because of a botched roll-out that saw demand outstrip supply. Among other things, it allowed higher prices for jabs in private hospitals, which has skewed access heavily in favour urban areas and those who can afford to pay. Vaccine hesitancy too remains a challenge, especially in rural areas. http