World News

PARIS — France suspended all flights from Brazil on Tuesday amid mounting fears over the particularly contagious coronavirus variant that has been sweeping the South American country. Prime Minister Jean Castex announced the suspension to parliament.

BERLIN — South Africa has suspended giving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as a “precautionary measure” following the FDA decision in the United States to pause using it while very rare blood clot cases are examined.

NEW YORK — Mick Jagger and Dave Grohl have teamed up for a hard-rock pandemic anthem called “Eazy Sleazy.” “It’s a song that I wrote about coming out of lockdown, with some much needed optimism," Jagger said in a statement Tuesday.

FRANKFURT — Volkswagen and Germany’s largest industrial union have agreed on a 23-month wage deal that provides a 1,000 euro bonus recognizing employee efforts during the coronavirus pandemic and a 2.3% wage increase from January 2022.

LONDON — The U.K. economy grew 0.4% in February, rebounding from a sharp drop the previous month, as the rapid rollout of COVID-19 vaccines boosted confidence in a recovery from the pandemic.

WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer prices increased a sharp 0.6% in March, the biggest uptick since 2012, while inflation over the past year jumped 2.6%.

NEW YORK — Backed by an international concert hosted by Selena Gomez and headlined by Jennifer Lopez, Global Citizen is unveiling an ambitious campaign to help medical workers in the world’s poorest countries quickly receive COVID-19 vaccines.

NEW YORK — Two books based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning “1619 Project” will be released this fall, with contributions from Jesmyn Ward, Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi, and dozens of others authors and journalists.

LONDON — Born into an age of revolutions in the wake of a pandemic, Prince Philip lived through a tumultuous century and worked to make the British monarchy a rock of stability in changing times.

KAMPALA, Uganda — The American rap artist and singer Akon is drawing criticism from rights activists over his meetings with Uganda's president as he pursues the development of a futuristic city in the East African country.