American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
The leaders of Germany and France called for vigilance Friday to prevent the spread of a coronavirus variant that this week prompted Britain to delay the planned relaxation of pandemic restrictions in England.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said that while Germany has very low numbers of new COVID-19 infections at present, the "aggressive" delta variant could lead to a rise in new cases.
"We can't pretend that corona is over," Merkel told reporters in Berlin.
"Even though there's a feeling on such a warm summer's evening that it's all over, one can see from the example of Lisbon that things can quickly change," she said. "That's why I think it's necessary to be careful, so that we have a summer with many freedoms but not yet all freedoms."
Portuguese authorities on Thursday banned travel in or out of the capital region over coming weekends in response to a spike in delta variant cases. Earlier this week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pushed back the date for lifting restrictions on social contacts by four weeks as the government reported thousands of newly confirmed cases, mostly with the delta variant.
Asked about travel related to the Euro2020 soccer tournament, Merkel said it was good to see thousands of fans at the recent Germany-France match in Munich again.
"But when I see completely full stadiums in other European countries, then I'm a bit skeptical whether that's the right answer to the current situation," she said -- a reference to Hungary, where authorities have allowed games without limiting spectator numbers.
Merkel spoke ahead of a working dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron, the first time she has hosted a foreign leader in Germany since last year.
Macron said it was important to be vigilant about the new variant and the European Union would discuss at an upcoming summit how to better harmonize travel restrictions during the pandemic -- something the bloc has struggled to do more than a year after the start of the outbreak.
EU countries have administered at least one dose of vaccine to roughly half of their populations, while more than a third have received both shots. Britain, which left the bloc last year, has a higher vaccination rate.
Aside from the pandemic, next week's EU summit will also address foreign policy issues such as the bloc's relationships with Russia and Turkey, and the future of its common defense and security policy.
Macron welcomed U.S. President Joe Biden's commitment to NATO.
"I think we succeeded in establishing the idea that European defense and EU strategic autonomy is not an alternative to the trans-Atlantic organization, but a solid component of it," Macron said of the recent meetings with Biden at the Group of Seven and NATO.
Merkel concurred. "We can all be glad that (Biden) has created a climate of cooperation again, in which everyone of course has their role to play," she said.
"But I see an absolute necessity -- and this is something I believe the United States expects -- that we act coherently, that we say which areas of work we can take on and which contribution we can make."
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Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball's highest scorer Caitlin Clark's first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
The United States vetoed a widely backed UN resolution Thursday that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for Palestine, a goal the Palestinians have long sought and Israel has worked to prevent.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.