Category: Business

EU leaders said a downturn in European vaccine drives on Thursday as Pfizer said Covid Jab proved to be 94% effective and raised expectations for a mass vaccination campaign to help end the pandemic. Meet under the concern of.

The news encourages the World Health Organization (WHO) to better understand the long-term effects of coronavirus on some patients, calling the long-term effects of symptoms a “significant” burden. I was sick.

Globally, more than 217 million doses of coronavirus have been approved, primarily in wealthy countries.
AFP / PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU

The virus was the central stage of the virtual EU conference, where leaders were planning to discuss the issue of vaccine procurement in Europe, and also discussed the so-called “green passport”.

Prior to the video conference, Austrian Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz and Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov called for a pass to allow vaccinated Europeans to travel and socialize.

“We want to get back to normal as soon as possible, regain our old life and get maximum freedom,” Kurtz tweeted.

1 week new Covid-19 cases
AFP / John Saeki

The block is plagued by vaccine supply issues and has been accused of stuttering.

Of the 450 million people in the EU, only 4% have received at least one jab and only 2% have been fully vaccinated with two doses, according to AFP data.

More than 2.4 million people worldwide die from Covid-19
AFP / Ronny Hartmann

However, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said her goal was to vaccinate 70% of adults in the European Union by mid-September.

Europe has been accused of delayed vaccine deployment
AFP / CRISTINA QUICLER

Vaccines raise expectations that countries may finally begin to emerge from a pandemic that has killed more than 2.4 million people worldwide and infected at least 112 million people.

However, deployments have been incomplete so far, with most of the 217 million doses of vaccine given worldwide, led by Israel and the United States, to wealthier countries.

The Zoom Era sees an increase in pandemics in US plastic surgery
AFPTV / Agnes BUN

The latest news from Pfizer comes from a large real-world study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine in Israel, where 52% of the population received at least one dose. I did.

The efficacy of jabs for symptomatological Covid-19 was 94% more than 7 days after the second dose. This is very close to the 95% achieved in Phase 3 clinical trials.

“This is the first peer-reviewed large-scale evidence of vaccine efficacy in real-world conditions,” Ben Wraith, a researcher at Harvard Medical School and one of the authors of the treatise, told AFP.

The good news about the vaccine was flooded with spirits, and WHO urged the government to investigate long-term Covid. This can cause symptoms such as fatigue, fog in the brain, and heart and nerve damage for several months.

“This is a clear priority for WHO and most important, and important for all health authorities,” said Hans Kluge, Regional Director of WHO Europe.

In France, after more than 12 rugby players and staff tested positive, the hope of returning to normal at the forefront of the sport was shattered and the Six Nations match against Scotland on Sunday was abolished.

And in Japan, the late Olympic torch relay organizer said fans could line up on the route at the start of next month, but cheering is strictly prohibited and social distance will be forced.

In the hospitality industry, there was more stringent data as AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer of Budweiser, Stella Artois and Corona, said its annual profits were halved.

Beer sales have fallen sharply around the world, thanks to the closure of pubs and restaurants, and increased household consumption has failed to make up for the badly hit sales.

After a series of nip and tack, real estate trainee Hudson Young said, “It’s new to have to stare at your face for hours a day. There’s a lot you can do with good lighting and good angles.” It was.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hold his first foreign “travel” on Friday through a virtual meeting between Mexico and Canada, seeking common ground on migration and other issues that have tested neighbor relationships.

As a sign that President Joe Biden is trying to discourage travel to stop the Covid-19 pandemic, Blinken will stay in Washington and speak in a video conference with his counterparts in Ottawa and Mexico City.

Blinken, who is also planning to visit the US-Mexico border in effect, follows Biden’s lead in hosting his first “summit” in the form of a virtual meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement Thursday, “Secretary of State Blinken’s virtual tour prioritizes the health and safety of all involved and demonstrates the importance of partnerships with neighboring countries and closest partners. I have. “

Former President Donald Trump was surprised by his productive relationship with Mexican populist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador from the left, but strained his relationship with many close US allies, including Canada. Was there.

Under the pressure of sanctions from Trump, Mexico has agreed to keep thousands of Central Americans and other asylum seekers on the land while waiting for a review of their application to flee to the United States. did.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken (second from right) will attend President Joe Biden’s virtual summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on February 23, 2021.
AFP / SAUL LOEB

The Biden administration has begun to dismantle the program. Immigrant advocates say they put people fleeing violence at physical risk and violate international refugee law.

Tensions are also rising among neighbors over the US prosecution of prominent Mexicans over drug trafficking charges and mutual threats to curb cooperation.

The United States arrested a former Mexican defense minister in Los Angeles in October, but was released under strong pressure from Mexico. US officials say they have refuted his promise to prosecute him at home.

On Monday, U.S. officials arrested the wife of detained drug tycoon Joaquín Guzman at an airport near Washington, but she also has U.S. citizenship.

Biden vowed to build close ties with Trudeau, a central left ally, after Trump cast Canada as a competitor and openly accused the prime minister of trade policy.

Nonetheless, Biden moved swiftly to end the Canada-promoted Keystone XL pipeline. This has been strongly opposed by environmentalists due to the high levels of carbon pollution that cause climate change.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan blamed the army for an attempted coup and brought supporters to the streets on Thursday after months of tension over his defeat in the war with Azerbaijan last year came to his mind.

Thousands marched on the streets of the capital Yerevan in support of Pasignan, and opponents urged him to resign to avoid bloodshed and even civil war.

President Armen Sargsyan, who plays a predominantly symbolic role, said he was taking urgent steps to mitigate the crisis and called on all involved to “show restraint and common sense.”

Forced to deal with the conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, Pasignan ignored repeated calls for resignation because of the loss of territory to Azerbaijan in the war.

After most support for the prime minister for several months, a military staff member called on him and his cabinet to resign in a statement on Thursday saying that he and his cabinet could not make the right decisions.

Pasignan has been under pressure since signing a Russian-mediated peace agreement that ended the conflict over Karabakh.
AFP /-

Pasignan fired Chief of Staff Onyck Gasparian in a counterattack on charges that Top Brass had begun an “attempted military coup.”

Hundreds of supporters then joined Pasignan, marching through the center of Yerevan, chanting “Prime Minister Nicole.”

Pasignan spoke to his supporters with a megaphone and asked him to calm down as dozens of police were deployed outside the major government agencies.

“The situation is tense, but we must agree that there can be no conflict,” said Pasignan, whose wife, daughter, minister, and security forces joined the march.

He said the situation in the country was under control and the military call was an “emotional reaction” to the dismissal of Chief of Staff Tigran Kachatrian the day before.

Opposition supporters demand the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan
AFP / Karen MINASYAN

Khachatryan ridiculed Pashinyan’s claim that the Iskander missile, supplied by Russia, Armenia’s main military ally, failed to attack its target during the war over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenian opponents, who have called for Pasignan to resign since the armistice in November, urged him to pay attention to the military call.

“We call on Nicol Pashinyan to keep the country from going to civil war and avoid bloodshed. Pashinyan has a last chance to avoid turmoil,” said prosperous Armenia, the country’s largest opposition, in a statement. Stated.

Bright Armenia, another opposition to prosperous Armenia, called for an extraordinary parliament managed by Pasignan’s allies.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan marches through the city of Yerevan with his supporters after accusing the military of attempting a coup.
FACEBOOK / @ nikol.pashinyan

Armenia’s influential Apostolic Church called for talks on all sides to resolve the crisis “for our homeland and people.”

Moscow also expressed concern, saying Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov “of course, we want calm.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Mebrut Chabsogur also strongly accused him of saying “an attempted coup in Armenia.”

“We are absolutely against coups and coup attempts anywhere in the world.”

Pasignan has been under pressure since signing a Russian-mediated peace agreement ending the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian ethnic region that collapsed from Azerbaijani rule during the war in the early 1990s.

In late September, the Azerbaijani army, backed by its ally Turkey, steadily made a profit and a new battle broke out in the region.

After six weeks of clashes and shelling that claimed the lives of about 6,000 people, a ceasefire agreement was signed, the territorial belt was handed over to Azerbaijan, and Russian peacekeepers could be deployed.

Azerbaijan regained control of several districts around Nagorno-Karabakh, which were occupied by separatists in the region during the war in the 1990s, and the strategically and symbolically important town of Shusha.

The deal was seen as a national humiliation for many in Armenia, but Pasignan said he had no choice but to agree or see his troops suffer even greater losses.

There were protests in the capital Yerevan, and demonstrators raided government agencies on the night they were signed and continued to meet regularly.

Pasignan refused to resign and call for early elections, despite construction pressure.

A 45-year-old former newspaper editor took power in 2018 at the forefront of peaceful protests and is initially optimistic about Armenia, a very poor former Soviet state bordering Iran, Georgia and Turkey. Brought a wave.

Former president Roberto Kocharyan also said Thursday should resign.

“The authorities who lost the war and ceded our land must go,” said Kocharyan, who was president from 1998 to 2008.

Junta supporters wielding knives and slingshots clashed with Myanmar’s anti-coup residents on Thursday, the first such confrontation between opposition as the country approaches the month of the junta.

The country has been trapped in a torrent of anger, with hundreds of thousands of people on the streets across the country calling for the release of private leader Aung San Suu Kyi and a return to democracy.

According to the military, power from authorities is steadily increasing in some demonstrations. At least five people have died since the February 1 coup, and one police officer has died in protest.

Myanmar military supporters throw things at Yangon residents on Thursday
AFP / SAI AUNG MAIN

But on Thursday, military junta supporters with a military flag marched through Yangon, Myanmar’s commercial center, towards boos from residents.

Authorities have granted them access to Sule Pagoda. Sule Pagoda is a local landmark at a major crossroads that was recently barricaded to prevent anti-coup protesters from flocking.

By noon, witnesses said a clash had occurred near the railroad facility at Yangon Central Station, with military supporters carrying pipes, knives and slingshots against booing residents.

Riot police guard Yangon roads Thursday in front of a three-finger salute mural popular among anti-coup protesters
AFP / Ye Aung Thu

They counterattacked and detained many until police appeared to eliminate alleged attackers.

“They have the right to protest, but they shouldn’t have used weapons. No demonstrators in support of democratization have used them,” Zau Wu was suppressed by a group of perpetrators. He later told AFP that he had a bruise on his ribs.

“They are bullies.”

Army supporters stand on top of men attacked during a rally in Yangon on Thursday
AFP / STR

Anti-coup demonstrations continued without problems throughout the city. Students at the University of Yangon waved the red flag signed by Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy while health care workers sew major crossroads.

“All we want is to see this illegal government collapse,” said the pharmacist.

The so-called “white coat revolution” was part of a national civil disobedience movement that closed major sectors across Myanmar, including hospitals, schools and banks, in a military junta rebellion.

Some people brought pachinko to a rally in Yangon
AFP / SAI AUNG MAIN

A decade of democracy experiments have ended as various elements of Myanmar society united in protest of the coup and Suu Kyi was detained in the dawn raid.

Students protest military affairs at the University of Yangon on Thursday
AFP / Ye Aung Thu

Protesters were creative in disagreeing with anti-coup tattoos and violinists playing revolutionary songs at demonstrations.

On Thursday, protesters in Mandalay, Yangon, and even remote Magway, applied Thanakha (a traditional sunscreen paste) to their cheeks in a three-finger salute design that symbolizes resistance. I did.

The military overcame a round of international condemnation and justified its seizure of power by claiming widespread fraud in the November elections wiped out by Suu Kyi’s party.

The latest blame came from Facebook on Thursday. It banned all remaining accounts related to Myanmar’s military, citing the use of military junta’s deadly force against anti-coup protesters.

Facebook, along with Twitter and Instagram, has been blocked in Myanmar as part of the increased restrictions on communications by military junta, but banned sites can still be accessed using VPNs.

The World Bank also confirmed that it had informed the administration that all lending would be suspended after February 1, “as a result of recent developments.”

The general has also seen sanctions imposed on them by Western nations, but neighbors in the Myanmar region have taken another step.

On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Unna Maung Ruwin, appointed to the junta, flew to Thailand to meet with Thai and Indonesian counterparts, where a “comprehensive democratic transition process” was repeated by Indonesian Foreign Minister Letno Marsdi. Was done.

He also sat down with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-Ocha, according to a photo released by state media on Thursday. This is the first face-to-face meeting between senior members of the military junta and foreign leaders.

More than 720 people have been arrested, prosecuted, or convicted since the coup, according to a surveillance group of the Political Prisoners Support Association.

They include Australian economist Sean Turnell, Suu Kyi’s adviser. The spouse wrote to the wife of military junta leader Min Aung Hlaing to plead for her husband’s release.

“I’m writing this personal note to you, Daw Kyu Kyu Hla, from one wife to another,” HaVu wrote in a letter AFP saw.

“Talk to your husband so that my husband can go home to my family in Australia.”

India imposed strict new rules on social media platforms on Thursday. That’s because US tech giants have accused it of being a “double standard” for removing controversial content.

The regulation takes effect in three months, and social media, online streaming services, and digital news services such as Facebook and Twitter are forced to remove content within 24 hours of the complaint being filed.

Tech companies must also disclose the source of “naughty tweets or messages” when requested by an Indian court or government.

Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad compares Twitter’s refusal to remove content after a peasant rampage in New Delhi in January with post-violence actions in the U.S. Congress a few days ago. That justified this move.

“If there was an attack on Capitol Hill in Congress, social media would support police action, but there is an aggressive attack on Larkira … you have a double standard,” he said. I called it “unacceptable”.

On January 26, farmers raided New Delhi’s historic Red Fort (also known as Larkira) as a large rally turned into a city-wide riot.

The Hindu nationalist government in India has ordered Twitter to delete hundreds of accounts and tweets commenting on the demonstration.

Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said some social media companies have shown “double standards”
AFP / Plakershsin

Twitter initially agreed, but soon reopened the account.

The government’s new rules will also force social media companies to appoint a chief compliance officer and a “grievance officer” based in India.

Another “self-regulatory body”, led by a government-appointed official, has the authority to warn or blame the platform, force an apology, or include a “warning” or “disclaimer” regarding content.

“While the government welcomes the right to criticism and objection, it is important for social media users to have a forum to raise their dissatisfaction with misuse of social media,” Prasad told reporters.

Social media has become the central battlefield for government confrontations with farmers camping on roads outside Delhi since November, calling for the abolition of new free-market farming practices.

The government has stepped up complaints about social media since it came to power in 2014.

German prosecutors said Thursday that they had accused a man of suspecting of handing over a parliamentary floor plan to the Russian Secret Service. This is a new incident that risks further tensions between Berlin and Moscow.

The suspect was a German citizen named only Jens F., who worked for a company repeatedly contracted by Congress to carry out regular checks of electrical equipment throughout Congress’s premises.

“For this background, the defendant was able to access a PDF file containing the parliamentary floor plan,” the federal prosecutor said.

The suspect is believed to have decided to pass the information to a Russian secret service sometime in the summer of 2017.

“To that end, he prepared a data carrier containing the corresponding PDF files and sent it to employees of the Russian Embassy in Berlin. He works primarily at the Russian military secret service GRU,” the prosecutor said. Said.

The incident occurred when Berlin and Moscow had a particularly volatile relationship over the case of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

The West has accused Russia of being addicted to Navalny’s Novichok, who was treated in Berlin before returning to Moscow last month.

Upon landing at the airport, Navalny was imprisoned and calls for liberation from the West.

Earlier this week, the European Union announced new sanctions against four Russian officials over the case, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of what he called an attempt to “bond” his country. Prompted.

The German flag is flying outside the Houses of Parliament, which houses the Federal House of Representatives in Berlin.
AFP / David GANNON

Chancellor Angela Merkel has always emphasized the importance of keeping dialogue with Putin open while walking on a wonderful diplomatic route to maintain Russia’s involvement.

But even German leaders, who normally cannot flap, have expressed dissatisfaction with Russia’s actions, including repeated cyberattacks on the West.

Chancellor Angela Merkel told Congress last May that there was concrete evidence that Russia was targeting her in an attack.

One of the hottest attacks that German intelligence has accused Russian hackers of is the 2015 cyberattack on the Bundestag.

Local media has named the suspect in the attack Dmitry Badin. Dmitry Badin is also being sought by the FBI for other similar attempts.

Beyond the de facto front, a high stakes trial is underway in Germany over the assassination of former Chechen commander in Berlin Central Park, allegedly ordered by Moscow.

A serious murder in the heart of the German capital seemed to be a turning point for Merkel, who said the murder “confused trust cooperation” between Berlin and Moscow last May.

A series of skirmishes with Russia also put Merkel in a difficult position for the nasty problem of Nord Stream 2, a multi-billion euro pipeline that is supposed to double Russia’s natural gas transport to Germany. placed.

Germany has long frustrated its allies with its stubborn defense of the project.

Despite harsh opposition, including its major ally, the United States, Merkel has advocated this project.

Most recently, Merkel has shown openness to the Russian-developed Covid-19 vaccine, as the pandemic continues to plague the world.

“Beyond big political differences now, we can nevertheless work together in the pandemic and humanitarian arena,” Merkel said.

French safety officials issued a green light on Thursday to extend the life of the country’s oldest nuclear power plant as it seeks to increase its share of renewable energy in the electricity mix.

Nuclear energy now supplies nearly 70% of France’s electricity, more than any other country.

France wants to reduce its share to 50% by 2035 with the help of renewable energy, the goal has been postponed from dates before 2025, but postponed the construction of a new reactor. doing.

France’s oldest nuclear reactor has another lifeline
AFP / JEFF PACHOUD

The French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) has stated that 32 plants in the country with a capacity of 900 MW, built primarily in the 1980s, have a potential lifespan of 40 to 50 years originally planned, with an additional 10 years. He said he was allowed to operate.

Therefore, it will not be discontinued by the late 2020s or late 2030s, depending on the date of its first launch.

The safety of French nuclear power plants is checked every 10 years.

France checks reactors every 10 years
AFP / GUILLAUME SOUVANT

ASN has asked the state-owned utility EDF, which manages the country’s nuclear power plants, to do the work necessary to keep the power plants secure.

The main goal was “to limit the consequences of accidents, especially serious accidents involving reactor meltdowns,” ASN Deputy Director Julian Collet told AFP.

Another objective was to improve the plant’s resistance to external impacts such as earthquakes, floods, very hot weather, or fires in reactors.

Anti-nuclear activists have long demanded the closure of veteran nuclear power plants, and last year received the decommissioning of France’s oldest power plant in Fessenheim, in the eastern part of the country.

“French active nuclear power plants were built to operate for 30 or 40 years, beyond which the reactor enters an unknown stage of aging,” said NGO Greenpeace, and more. I asked you to close the power plant in France.

ASN President Bernard Doroszczuk told a newspaper in West France that station security equipment still had “weaknesses” and needed “alert”, but there were improvements.

Armenian leader Nikol Pashinyan blamed the army for an attempted coup and urged supporters to appear on the streets Thursday after months of tension over dealing with the war with Azerbaijan last year.

The country’s top military brass demanded the resignation of the prime minister early Thursday, causing a potential power struggle in the Caucasus.

Pasignan condemned the statement as a coup attempt and asked supporters to demonstrate it.

“I think the statement from the General Staff is a military coup attempt. Now invite all supporters to Republic Square,” he wrote on Facebook. Mentioned the central square of the capital Yerevan.

Pasignan also dismissed Chief of Staff Onik Gasparyan, who issued a statement, after the Prime Minister dismissed Deputy Chief of Staff Tigran Kachatrian on Wednesday.

Khachatryan ridiculed Pashinyan’s claim that the Iskander missile, supplied by Armenia’s major military ally, Russia, failed to attack its target during the war with Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. ..

According to a statement by the Chief of Staff, the shootings were “based solely on personal sentiment and ambition” in Pasignan.

Pasignan and his government “cannot make the right decisions,” the statement said, accusing “attacks by authorities aimed at damaging military credibility.”

Pasignan has been under pressure since signing a Russian-mediated peace agreement that ended the conflict over Karabakh.
AFP /-

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was concerned about what happened in Yerevan and called for calm.

Pasignan has been under pressure since signing a Russian-mediated peace agreement ending the conflict over Karabakh, an Armenian ethnic region that broke out of Azerbaijan’s rule during the war in the early 1990s.

In late September, the Azerbaijani army, backed by its ally Turkey, steadily made a profit and a new battle broke out in the region.

After six weeks of clashes and shelling that claimed the lives of about 6,000 people, a ceasefire agreement was signed, the territorial belt was handed over to Azerbaijan, and Russian peacekeepers could be deployed.

Azerbaijan regained control of several areas around Karabakh, which were occupied by separatists during the war in the 1990s, and the strategically and symbolically important town of Shusha.

The deal was seen as a national humiliation for many in Armenia, but Pasignan said he had no choice but to agree or suffer even greater losses.

There were protests in the capital Yerevan, and demonstrators raided government agencies on the night they were signed and continued to meet regularly.

Pasignan refused to resign and call for early elections, despite construction pressure.

A 45-year-old former newspaper editor took power in 2018 at the forefront of peaceful protests and is initially optimistic about Armenia, a very poor former Soviet state bordering Iran, Georgia and Turkey. Brought a wave.

However, his response to the war has sparked intense criticism from Pasignan’s political opponents, including former leader Serzh Sargsyan, who was forced to resign in 2018.