Europe

New ICC prosecutor takes on daunting job

by Julie CAPELLE THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — Britain’s Karim Khan starts Wednesday as prosecutor of the International Criminal Court with a daunting caseload including a probe into Israel and the Palestinians, the most politically fraught file in the tribunal’s history. Khan replaces Gambia’s Fatou Bensouda, who dramatically extended the ICC’s reach during her nine-year tenure but suffered a series of high-profile failures, including the acquittal of former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo. The 51-year-old […]

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France opens Covid jabs to over-12s in herd immunity drive

by Françoise KADRI / Clare BYRNE PARIS, France (AFP) — France on Tuesday expanded its Covid-19 inoculation drive to children aged 12 and over in a bid to achieve herd immunity and slow the spread of variants, including the Delta strain behind a surge of cases in the United Kingdom. The jabs are not compulsory for children and have no bearing on whether they can attend school or go on holiday in France. But as […]

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AstraZeneca hits snag in Covid drug development

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca on Tuesday revealed it had hit a setback in trials of a treatment for Covid-19 symptoms. The drug, made from a combination of two antibodies, failed its main goal to treat symptoms in exposed patients, the company said in a statement. The treatment has been undergoing phase 3 or final-stage clinical trials to assess its safety and efficacy. AstraZeneca said that 1,121 unvaccinated adults had been exposed […]

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WHO warns virus quicker than vaccines after G7 doses pledge

by Agnès PEDRERO GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The WHO warned Monday that Covid-19 was moving faster than the vaccines, and said the G7’s vow to share a billion doses with poorer nations was simply not enough. Global health leaders also warned the pledge was too little, too late, with more than 11 billion shots needed. Faced with outrage over disparities in jab access, the Group of Seven industrialised powers pledged during a weekend summit in […]

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G7 to provide 1 billion Covid vaccine doses ‘to world’: UK

by AFP bureaus FALMOUTH, United Kingdom (AFP) — G7 leaders will agree to expand global Covid vaccine manufacturing to provide at least one billion doses to the world through sharing and financing schemes, Britain said Thursday. The announcement came after the United States said it would donate 500 million jabs to 92 poor and lower-middle-income nations. The UK, which is hosting the big powers’ gathering in southwest England, added it would donate at least 100 […]

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Macron calls for vaccine makers to donate 10% of doses

PARIS, France (AFP) — French President Emmanuel Macron called Thursday for pharma groups producing vaccines against Covid-19 to donate 10 percent of their production to poor nations. “Donations of doses by states have to be supplemented by donations of doses by pharmaceutical companies,” Macron told a news conference, adding that states had helped fund vaccine research and it was “legitimate” to ask for a contribution from the companies. Macron also called for leaders of the […]

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Biden to announce mass vaccine donations as first overseas tour begins

by Jerome Cartillier with Sebastian Smith in Washington UNITED KINGDOM (AFP) — Joe Biden triumphantly announced that “the United States is back!” as he kicked off his first overseas tour as US president, urging global collaboration and consensus to rebuild after Covid and reset diplomatic ties after the divisive isolation of the Trump era. His multilateral charm offensive began even before he touched down in England for a packed week that takes in a G7 […]

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Norway offers Johnson & Johnson vaccine to volunteers

OSLO, Norway (AFP) — Norway will offer the Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine to volunteers under strict conditions from mid-July, the government said Wednesday, flouting the advice of various health authorities who say the risks outweigh the benefits. The Nordic country, which has dropped the AstraZeneca jab from its vaccination programme amid concerns about rare but severe blood clots, had also suspended the use of the J&J vaccine over similar concerns earlier this year. But […]

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France, Belgium ease virus curbs as US decision boosts travel hopes

  by AFP Bureaus France and Belgium further relaxed their Covid-19 restrictions Wednesday, allowing restaurants and cafes to serve indoors, while the United States eased travel warnings for dozens of countries as vaccinations boost hopes of a return to normal life. The pandemic’s impact on life around the planet was also illustrated Wednesday with a shake-up of the list of the world’s most liveable cities, with Auckland rocketing to the top on the back of […]

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France’s Macron slapped in the face while greeting crowd

by Jerome RIVET with Adam PLOWRIGHT in Paris TAIN- I’HERMITAGE, France (AFP) — French President Emmanuel Macron was slapped in the face while greeting a crowd in southeast France on Tuesday, in a shock incident he shrugged off as “isolated” but which drew widespread condemnation in a tense political climate. Video footage on social media shows Macron shaking hands with voters when a man in a green t-shirt takes hold of his forearm and slaps […]

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WHO urges Covid jab makers to give Covax 50% of doses

by Robin MILLARD GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The WHO on Monday called for Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers to give Covax first refusal on new doses, or commit half of their volumes to the global jab equity scheme. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said manufacturers should turn their attention to the Covax facility, which has struggled to get donation-funded doses to poorer countries. Tedros voiced his frustration that several poor countries have been unable to […]

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Moderna seeks approval of Covid-19 vaccine for teens in Europe, Canada

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US biotech firm Moderna said Monday it was seeking conditional approval for use of its Covid-19 vaccine on teens in Europe and Canada, in what will assuredly be a boost for inoculation campaigns. “We are encouraged that the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine was highly effective at preventing Covid-19 and SARS-CoV-2 infection in adolescents,” Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said in a statement, adding that the firm also planned to file for emergency […]

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